It is interesting to see what kind of comments appear on social media in relation to the Ben Roberts-Smith arrest.
For those who came in late (as they say in the Phantom comics):
My position has always been that we need to follow due process of the law and that no one is immune from prosecution or otherwise above the law. My position also has been abundantly clear that we have mythologised Breaker Morant to the point of martyrdom and that this has not helped form an accountable culture in our Defence Forces, particularly in recent years, nor in forming the lens through which we as a nation see the conduct of our Defence Forces.
The phrase at the top of this blog – Breaker Morant 2.0 – was posted by one of the online supporters of Mr Roberts-Smith on Facebook, and then showed up in my feed. That sort of comment is probably typical of the world view of the people who publicly support him on social media.
They are entitled to their opinions (we are after all a democracy and we should engage in civil discussions), but I consider that parallels to Breaker Morant are part of the cultural problem which has led us to the sad state of affairs where a national hero has been accused of war crimes, and where many people in our community are stating openly that killing in warfare (including of non-combatants, prisoners, and wounded) should happen with impunity, rather than within accepted rules of war.
We need to move the national conversation away from the mythologising about convicted war criminals like Breaker Morant and towards nurturing a military culture where our troops do not behave with impunity.
Lost For Words! 