BRISBANE — One Nation leader Pauline Hanson attended a community rally in Brisbane on Sunday, offering support for former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. Roughly 100 people gathered for the event at Rocks Riverside Park in Seventeen Mile Rocks, Brisbane.
Hanson, describing herself as the leader of the One Nation party, characterized Roberts-Smith as a war hero. She stated that she respects and admires him. Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was arrested in April and faces five charges of war crime murder relating to allegations he killed unarmed civilians in Afghanistan. He has denied all allegations against him.
Hanson compared Roberts-Smith's prosecution to her 2003 conviction for electoral fraud, which was overturned when she was acquitted. She asked, "Is this the country that I grew up in? Is this the country I want to hand on to my children and grandchildren?" Hanson stated, "These men and women are trained to fight, and a lot of the time to fight for their life."
Lawrence Henzell organized the rally and began selling support shirts after Roberts-Smith's April arrest. Henzell stated that proceeds from these sales were directed to a trust established for Roberts-Smith. He said, "I think right now we need to form an army of civilians and support this man."
Tammy Hickey, a community development organiser with the Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation, traveled by bus from Cunnamulla, western Queensland, to attend the rally. Hickey stated, "It was very important to support Ben because it's just a travesty what he's been put through." She recounted her father's experience in World War Two, saying, "My father fought in World War Two and he'd be horrified at what Ben's being put through."