Ben Roberts-Smith will attend 2026 Anzac Day commemorations after being granted bail. The Victoria Cross recipient has been released from custody on strict conditions following his arrest earlier this month as part of joint investigations by the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator. He has been charged with five counts of war crime murder, relating to his alleged involvement in the deaths of Afghan nationals between 2009 and 2012.
Mr Roberts-Smith has vowed to take part in an Anzac Day event in Queensland this weekend, calling the national day of commemoration “sacred”. “Anzac Day is sacred to me and every other veteran. I will be attending to pay my respects and I encourage everyone else to,” Mr Roberts-Smith told The Australian.
War veteran and fellow Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne VC has voiced his support for Mr Roberts-Smith’s presence at this year’s commemorations. “Of course he should march or be at the Dawn Service, whatever he wants to,” Mr Payne told the masthead. Mr Roberts-Smith told the publication he “greatly” appreciated the support offered by Mr Payne and others who had “made contact”.
His court appearance followed a dramatic arrest at Sydney Airport on April 7. He was travelling with his family when AFP officers hauled him off the plane on the tarmac. On April 17, Judge Greg Grogin granted bail, saying he was satisfied Mr Roberts-Smith was not a flight risk. “I am satisfied that the proposed conditions that have been proffered on behalf of Ben Roberts-Smith ameliorate the unacceptable risk of flight … and interfering with witnesses or evidence and I will be granting bail,” Judge Grogin told the court.
Two days later, in his first public remarks since his release, Mr Roberts-Smith pledged to contest the allegations. “I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name,” he said on April 19. “For the past 10 years my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians that I’ve acted improperly in my service in Afghanistan. I have never run from a fight in my life. I will never give up and I will always be in the fight.”
