The truth some people do not want to hear
Fifteen years ago Ben Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award in the Australian honors system, for his bravery in battle. Today, he is detained in prison alongside domestic abusers and drug dealers and faces five counts of war crimes (murder).
When journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters broke the news of his arrest on Tuesday, it marked a significant development in a report first brought to the attention of the Australian public by The Guardian. reporter Eight years ago, when McKenzie and Masters revealed that the Victoria Cross winner was alleged to have been involved in war crimes during his service with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.
Despite assiduously reporting allegations that Roberts-Smith had executed civilians and unarmed prisoners or ordered the executions of his subordinates, the former soldier had powerful supporters who hailed him as a patriot, attacked us for reporting the allegations, and bankrolled his protracted, multimillion-dollar libel lawsuit (he lost the case, appeal, and Supreme Court bid).
The fallout from her arrest on a flight from Brisbane airport this week – her towering torso flanked by police officers as she was escorted off her flight – further widened the divide between the cheer squad and those who not only believe in the importance of upholding international humanitarian law but also understand that no one, not even Australia’s Victoria Cross winner, should be above the law (Roberts-Smith has always insisted she is innocent of the allegations).
Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart has long been one of Roberts-Smith’s most ardent fans. This week he reflected the views of many, including One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, on the right to politics when he said our soldiers had suffered while serving Australia and that he found the criminal investigation “confusing”. Even US billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on social media platform X, saying the arrest “seems crazy.”
The theme of Roberts-Smith’s supporters is that war is hard on soldiers and that Australians should stop worrying about the details and get behind them. At best, this is a worrying misunderstanding of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) under which every Australian soldier trains. LOAC’s purpose is to reduce the suffering of war. It stipulates that civilians and prisoners whom Roberts-Smith allegedly killed or ordered to be killed must be protected.
There was a time when both the left and right of Australian politics considered honour, moderation and moral character essential to the ideal of a patriotic soldier. Not anymore.
While it is worrying that politicians and billionaires have given up on the idea, it is even more worrying that the Australian War Memorial has done so. As historians pointed out to our reporters Clay Lucas and Nick Newling on Thursday, allowing Roberts-Smith’s medals and uniform to be displayed in the memorial’s Hall of Valor even now (albeit with a note on a panel about the charges against him) undermines any commitment to historical truth. Leaving the exhibition sends the message to children on the primary school pilgrimage that commemorative awards combat heroism with integrity and morality. The exhibition must be removed, at least until the criminal case is concluded.
But we must not forget that this saga involves soldiers who chose to violate the SASR’s so-called code of silence to speak out about the alleged war crimes of their comrades. Their actions gave the victims’ families the relief of seeing the alleged perpetrator held to account after a very long wait, and they demonstrated moral courage that reflects the best of Australia’s defense force personnel.
It would be easier for these soldiers to ignore. Facing enormous backlash, it would also have been easier for McKenzie and Masters to overlook the alleged cruelty of a so-called war hero. reporter They stopped publishing their investigations. However Sydney Morning Herald It means honesty, responsibility and courage. Our role is to tell our readers the truth, even if it’s a truth some people don’t want to hear.
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