Ben Roberts-Smith and Pauline Hanson were swarmed by supporters keen to have their photo taken with the accused war criminal and the One Nation leader following a Remembrance Day service in Brisbane.
“We know who the real celebrity is here,” one man remarked, before having his photo taken with decorated former SAS soldier Roberts-Smith, who is on bail awaiting trial on war crime charges.
As soon as the formalities at Anzac Square ended, Roberts-Smith was approached for photos in the blazing sun, while his girlfriend Sarah Matulin waited nearby.
Members of the public, including a man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “I stand with BRS”, as well as acting military personnel, lined up to meet the former soldier as he wiped sweat from his brow amid the 30-degree heat.
One said: “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” Another man said: “Thank you for your service.”
Of the public display of support, Roberts-Smith said he was grateful.
“I’m very grateful for the support of the majority of Australians,” he told this masthead.
“But I think today, for me, was about remembering the sacrifice of all those who’ve been before me and the freedoms that we have in this country.
“As a current-day serviceman, it’s great that people are still happy to support us and continue to get behind those veterans.”
He was swarmed by supporters in a similar fashion at an Anzac Day dawn service on the Gold Coast in April .
When asked if he had considered not attending the Remembrance Day service given the spotlight and the accusations he faces, Roberts-Smith replied: “It’s a free country.”
On the possibility of a future career in politics, Roberts-Smith, who recently ventured into a clothing line, said: “I’ve got a lot of other problems to worry about.”
Standing metres away, one of Roberts-Smith’s most high-profile advocates, senator Hanson, was also taking photos with supporters.
“I think that’s a clear indication that the public do like what I offer to the people of Queensland and Australia as representation,” she said.
“I support Ben, and I know he has been charged, but he has not been convicted, and I was charged, and my sentence was overturned and was quashed. So I understand what he’s going through. He’s got a lot to go through in the future.”
Hanson wandered across Ann Street after the ceremony flanked by her security, then drank a beer in the packed Grand Central Hotel among mostly suited men wearing medals and at least one with a black shirt displaying support for Roberts-Smith.
She stayed for about 15 minutes, speaking with supporters and posing for more photos.
Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was arrested following a five-year investigation by the secretive Office of the Special Investigator into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The alleged offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
He has been allowed to live in Queensland on bail. He is awaiting trial on five counts of the war crime of murder.
Roberts-Smith has already unsuccessfully contested allegations that he committed war crimes, including murders, in a defamation case he fought all the way to the High Court . The criminal charges he now faces have a higher burden of proof for the prosecution to succeed.
In an interview with Sydney 2GB radio host Ben Fordham last month , Roberts-Smith said he “wouldn’t change a single thing” about his military career and maintained he was innocent.
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.
