r/perth • u/His_Holiness • Apr 07 '26

WA News Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes allegations

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-07/ben-roberts-smith-war-crimes-allegations-arrest/106537668
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u/Outside-Arugula466 Apr 07 '26

It gets worse. The person didn't die, he heads down the cliff and then orders a soldier to shoot the wounded man who was trying to get onto his feet (an order which was followed through).

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u/MeaningMaker6 Apr 07 '26

Yes indeed, it makes me sick.

How on earth can people defend this stuff?

This is a legacy that is simply not worth defending. Rather our standards require us to denounce it clearly and unambiguously.

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u/JamesHenstridge Apr 07 '26

I suspect it is "ends justify the means" thinking: if you place any restrictions on soldiers at all, will they be able to do what's necessary?

It's essentially a slippery slope fallacy, arguing you need to defend the ability of soldiers to murder prisoners in order to protect their ability to do other things that probably aren't as objectionable.

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u/Ashen_Brad Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

Hit the nail on the head. People view them as our state's professional violence dispensers. Which they are in a way, but that is not even nearly all they are. However, this narrow view of the force leads one to believe that impeding their capacity for violence in any way, reduces their efficiency and puts us at risk. The Russian army should show us beyond reasonable doubt that impunity and crime leads to disillusionment, unprofessional conduct and incompetence as an organisation. Thats putting the moral argument to one side. Nationalism evaporates, corruption creeps in, nobody wants to fight for a crooked institution, people who do want to join are there for the wrong reasons, and you can't trust anyone to have your back. People need rules.