Veteran Returns Service Medals in Protest Over Roberts-Smith Arrest
An Australian military veteran has made a powerful symbolic gesture by requesting federal MP Bob Katter to return his five service medals to politicians in Canberra. This protest action follows the high-profile arrest of former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, the nation's most decorated soldier, on serious war crime charges.
Medals Returned With Emotional Note
The veteran handed his medals to Katter on Wednesday alongside a handwritten note that read: 'Bob, give my medals back to Canberra. I no longer want them after seeing the way they treat veterans.' The collection includes significant honours: an Australian Active Service Medal with East Timor clasp, International Force East Timor medal, Defence Force Service Medal, Australian National Medal, and Australian Defence Medal.
Katter shared a photograph of the medals and note on social media, writing that he wanted to 'acknowledge all our veterans feeling betrayed by the events of recent days.' He described the constituent as coming from his Kennedy electorate and added the Latin phrase 'Pro Patria et Diem' (For Country and Day) to his post.
Roberts-Smith's Arrest and Charges
Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was arrested Tuesday morning at Sydney Domestic Airport after arriving on a flight from Brisbane with his teenage twin daughters. The arrest followed a joint investigation by the Office of the Special Investigator and the Australian Federal Police.
Roberts-Smith faces five counts of war crime - murder relating to alleged incidents in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012. The specific charges include:
- The war crime of murder for intentionally causing death on April 12, 2009, at Kakarak, Uruzgan Province
- Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring murder on April 12, 2009, at Kakarak
- Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring murder on September 11, 2012, at Darwan, Uruzgan Province
- Jointly causing death with another person on October 20, 2012, in Syahchow, Uruzgan Province
- Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring murder on October 20, 2012, at Syahchow
The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment. Roberts-Smith has long maintained his innocence and is currently detained at Silverwater Prison after his lawyer deferred a bail application.
Legal Background and Public Reaction
This arrest represents the culmination of years of legal proceedings. Roberts-Smith previously sued Nine newspapers and journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters for defamation over 2018 reports accusing him of war crimes. In 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko found that claims Roberts-Smith was responsible for murdering four unarmed male civilians in Afghanistan were substantially true on the balance of probabilities.
Despite appealing this Federal Court loss and disputing Justice Besanko's findings as insufficiently evidenced, Australia's highest court refused the former soldier's application to appeal last year.
The Australian Centre for International Justice welcomed the arrest as an 'important step towards truth and accountability.' Principal lawyer Rawan Arraf, a long-time advocate for whistleblower David McBride who exposed allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan, noted the significance of this development.
Divided Public Sentiment
Public reaction to both the arrest and the veteran's medal protest has been deeply divided. Commenters on Katter's social media post expressed conflicting views, with some supporting Roberts-Smith by highlighting Taliban war crimes during the conflict, while others insisted he should face trial.
Several comments reflected concern about the timing approaching ANZAC Day on April 25. 'What a sad state our country is in, for our veterans to feel this way,' one person wrote. Another noted: 'The soldiers who reported him are also veterans, they also deserve to be heard.'
Other commenters urged caution: 'Maybe you should wait for the trial outcome before you decide if he's being treated unfairly,' while another observed: 'Returning the medals will not stop the witch-hunt nor influence the inquiry.'
The overarching sentiment revealed profound concern for veterans' welfare and disillusionment with how military service is recognized and respected in contemporary Australia, particularly as the nation prepares to commemorate ANZAC Day.
