Ben Roberts-Smith to attend first Anzac Day service since war crime charges

Ben Roberts-Smith will attend an Anzac Day service in Queensland on Saturday morning, describing the day as “sacred” to him, the first commemoration since he was criminally charged.

Roberts-Smith, the recipient of the Victoria Cross and once one of Australia’s most lionised soldiers, faces five charges of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed during his service with the SAS in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.

In a statement provided to the Guardian, Roberts-Smith said he greatly appreciated the support shown to him by veterans and other members of the community.

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“Anzac Day is sacred to me and every other veteran. I will be attending to pay my respects and I encourage everyone else to.”

Roberts-Smith has been living in Queensland since being released on bail last week. He is not allowed to leave the state, except for visits to NSW and to Western Australia for medical and legal purposes.

The Returned and Services League said Roberts-Smith was welcome, as any veteran and member of the Australian community is, to attend an Anzac service in commemoration.

RSL Australia national president, Peter Tinley, himself an SAS veteran, said: “the Anzac Spirit doesn’t just live in history.

“It lives in the choices we make today, the way we treat each other, and the unity we show when we come together.”

Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, is accused of killing unarmed, handcuffed civilians who were in the custody of Australian soldiers and posed no risk to safety, in situations where there was no active engagement in conflict.

He has vehemently denied the charges, saying “I categorically deny all of these allegations”.

“And while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name. I’m proud of my service in Afghanistan.”

It comes as a group whose founder describes himself as a “white nationalist” is set to hold a rally in support of Roberts-Smith in Melbourne on the day after Anzac day. Neither Roberts-Smith nor his family are in any way involved in the rally, a spokesperson said.

The rally, which calls for the charges against Roberts-Smith to be dropped, is being planned by a group called the National Workers Alliance, which describes itself on promotional material as an “Australian nationalist organisation for the preservation of European culture and identity”.

The National Workers Alliance disrupted an event in February held by Liberal MP Tim Wilson, and the group’s leader, Matt Trihey, has stated he is a “white nationalist” in a video posted on its social media.

Trihey, in a written response to Guardian Australia, claimed he had been in contact with a member of Roberts-Smith’s family who had approved the rally.

But when contacted by Guardian Australia, a spokesperson for Roberts-Smith said: “Mr Roberts-Smith and his family are not in any way involved in this rally, nor associated with its organisers, and have not been consulted by the group in question.”

Sunday’s rally is also being promoted by a group called Fight for Australia, formerly known as March for Australia, which has staged major anti-immigration rallies across Australia. Fight for Australia has been encouraging supporters to contact local RSL branches and ask that welcomes to country are not included in Anzac Day ceremonies, claiming the dawn service “is not the place for Welcome to Country”.

On Friday, the group wrote online “Will you be be [sic] booing the welcome to country this year?” alongside a video of Melbourne’s Anzac Day 2025 ceremony, where Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown was booed by members of the National Socialist Network.

Fight for Australia have also been contacted for comment.