Members of the #ToxicSAS have been issued with ‘formal notices’: they will have to defend acts defined as ‘war crimes’ against poor people in Afghanistan. See article below.
This is the same militarisation, born of #foreverwar, that has poured into US culture. It is now being enacted by a #militarisedpolice in response to the largely nonviolent #BLM movement. White supremacy and colonisation are at its roots.
We acknowledge and remember that this militarised supremacy first rolled out in Australia aimed at Aboriginal people with a sustained wave of violence.
Even though the #ToxicSAS get massive media coverage, we suggest there are several elements missing from public discussion that a keen peacenik’s eye will want to point out. It is up to us to force these issues into visibility with voice and action.
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Your Voice: Promote veterans voices: Remind people that veterans have demanded the exposure of these war crimes. They have different reasons. But they have taken risks and are front-line affected. For example, their peers continue to suicide. Truth and facing up is an important element in psychological healing. They were used by the corrupt States of USA and Australia: Trained as killers. Now training the Indonesian police and spreading the US bastardry.
Your Voice: Call for the release of the Brereton Report: Even Andrew Hastie, the WA member of parliament, an ex-soldier, has requested for the Brereton Report to be released and be transparent.
But it is not clear yet that we will see it. This is the Defence Minister’s responsibility and Raytheon’s person on the inside @LindaReynoldsWA is highly problematic. Contact her and politely berate her.
Your Voice: Ensure trials are heard in the open: We are witnessing more and more secret trials. It turns out that even our own activist trials at Pine Gap were practice for this sort of excessive secrecy. War Crimes trials must be heard in the open so we can understand the dynamics of militarised, industrialised abuse.
Your Voice: Use the hashtag #NameSoldierC: The Soldier involved in killing the unarmed Afghan man in the wheat-field, as revealed earlier this year on Four Corners, should be named. Other alleged murderers in our society are named before trial. Please, use this hashtag. Follow @Wagepeaceau on twitter. There are still not enough of you on twitter!
Your Voice: Make Governor General David Hurley visible and central – and his band of Top-Brass – throughout any trials. Wage Peace urges you to OFTEN remind people that “Governor General” General David Hurley was Chief of Defence when these murders occurred. Like Kerr before him he did the work of the US. Ask why the ‘investigation’ Hurley oversaw, came up with nothing despite the helmet-cam recording and the credible report by a witness.
- Hurley oversaw the war crimes.
- Hurley’s ‘investigations’ of war crimes led to nothing until he left the post. Activists experienced the violence directly at Swan Island – that’s when the violence was revealed at the parliamentary Senate estimates.
- Hurley must have lied about the state of the war to the Australian people and to the parliament, in line with the lies of his US counterparts
- Hurley allowed the soldiers to keep returning to the US Security Forces where they were positioned as killers for the US army, for which they were glorified as reward.
- Hurley himself was rewarded with career moves: First Governor of NSW and then to the role as so called “Head of State”.
Like Archbishop Hollingsworth before them, men in positions of power overseeing abuse must be removed from roles of prominence. If you called for the fall of the patriarchs of the Catholic Church, you should also be calling for the fall of the patriarchs of the Australian Defence Force.
These men used the wars to promote themselves into positions of further abuse: Gen. Peter Leahy for example is on the board of a significant arms dealer. Gen. Mike Hindmarsh operates in the Middle East facilitating arms deals through his position as as Senior Officer in the UAE Presidential Guard [security forces].
Link the #ToxicSAS to US militarism and colonisation: Because #BlackLivesMatter. We know that dangerous policing has its roots in militarised culture. #Afghanistan and #Iraq matter. #WarCrimesmatter.
Please reply to this email and contact us with your thoughts.
Yours sincerely,
Margie and the Wage Peace team
Publication info: Sunday Telegraph ; Surry Hills, N.S.W. [Surry Hills, N.S.W]31 May 2020: 5.
AUSTRALIAN special forces soldiers have been served with formal notices accusing them of committing war crimes while fighting in Afghanistan.The extraordinary development comes four years after investigations began into rumours that special forces operators were involved in unlawful killings and cruelty while in Afghanistan. In recent days, a number of soldiers have received notices from the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, NSW Court of Appeal Judge Justice Paul Brereton. Most are former soldiers although some are understood to be current members of the ADF. The notices advise the soldiers he intends to make adverse findings against them, and gives them a period in which to justify or explain their actions. Those adverse findings include breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict and other misconduct allegations. The soldiers have several weeks to respond, then Justice Brereton’s final report will go to the Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, along with a series of recommendations. This could include criminal prosecutions. Current members can be recommended for discharge from the army. The report is due to be handed down in July and will ultimately go to the government. “Further dissemination of the report or material within it will be a matter for the Chief of the Defence Force,” an IGADF spokesman said. The Department of Defence has had to develop contingency plans to deal with the mental health fallout from such a finding against previously revered soldiers. President of the Australian Commando Association and the RSL Greg Melick said the inquiry was not yet complete. “The mere fact the notices have been served doesn’t imply guilt and it is inappropriate to speculate until the process is complete,’’ he said. “The speculation has been very damaging to the health and welfare of not only many veterans but their families.’’ In a separate but parallel inquiry, the Australian Federal Police continue to investigate two allegations of war crimes allegedly involving two special forces soldiers. One is known only as Soldier C, while the second is Australia’s most decorated war hero, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. With regards to Soldier C, the AFP said: “The Australian Federal Police received a complaint from the Minister for Defence regarding footage aired on the ABC, concerning the actions of ADF members and the death of a man in Afghanistan. “The AFP has commenced an investigation and will not comment further while it remains ongoing.” Mr Roberts-Smith strongly denies wrongdoing and is suing Nine for allegations it published against him. The case continues this week. Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyer Mark O’Brien was asked to confirm whether his client had received an adverse finding notice, and if so whether he would like to comment on it. He said: “I have no comment on any part of that question.’’ CREDIT: Ellen Whinnett; Exclusive |
References
Veteran Suicides – Australia launches inquiry into military veteran suicides
At War with the Truth – The Washington Files
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