this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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(Not me) Official video from David McBride's Official Youtube channel. If you don't know who he is - I don't blame you, with how little coverage this story has gotten

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[–] TinyBreak@aussie.zone 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can we get a simplified summary?

[–] normonator@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] BeeDemocracy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

This is the best explanation of the case in full context I've seen.

[–] platypus_plumba@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

When is his "if you're seeing this video I've died mysteriously in prison" video coming out?

[–] unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Welcome to the present! See my pinned post as to why I am only able to reply to your comment 8 days later (for now!)

[–] BeeDemocracy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I'm gutted. Devastated.

[–] No1@aussie.zone -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

It's a lot messier than most think.

ABC article

McBride's intention was not to leak to expose war crimes, it was to show how troops were being unnecessarily hounded by legal etc , ie 'over-zealous” investigations of special forces'

The ABC discovered war crimes in the leaks and went down that path.

Now McBride looks like the hero being victimised for exposing the war crimes.

[–] BeeDemocracy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The abc is not biased at all in this, no. They're not the ones he leaked to.

You make it sound like he accidentally leaked evidence of war crimes. He leaked evidence of war crimes comitted by generals as well as boots on the ground but somehow the abc's top 'investigative reporters' ie gov't stenographers are still missing that.

[–] surreptitiouswalk@aussie.zone 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Did you ready the article? McBride initially posted on his personal blog, which caught the attention of ABC journalist Dan Oakes. The information was leaked to Oakes and the ABC from there.

My reading of the article was McBride didn't initially think there were war crimes committed but:

ADF leadership alleg(ed) that SAS soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.

“If there is political bullshit going on against soldiers, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re SAS or not, you need to stand up for it,”

McBride didn't think war crimes had happened which is why he asserts that the soldiers were being wrongly accused and investigated. Oakes disagreed.

Now the question is, why is Oakes making this allegation allegation against McBride if it's not true?

[–] unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure he thought war crimes were happening, he just thought they were investigating the wrong soldiers to cover up for higher-ranking and more decorated soldiers like Ben Roberts-Smith to pretend that they cared about war crimes

[–] surreptitiouswalk@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.

Is honestly pretty unambiguous wording.

And the other evidence against your claim is, why would McBride had been pissed off by the ABC's reporting of his leaked files? If you were right, the ABC's angle would be completely aligned with McBride's. Why would Oakes allege there was disagreement there?

[–] unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone 7 points 1 year ago

I think he'd be pissed off at the ABC for missing the point and just covering the war crimes, effectively covering up the arses of those higher up.

soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.

Could mean exactly what I said as well

investigating the wrong soldiers to cover up

That's what I said. The two statements are not mutually exclusive

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

I'm willing to entertain the idea that he may not have intended to whistleblow in order to reveal war crimes.

But if that's the case, why couldn't the government have relied upon a fair trial to establish his guilt? Even if he is guilty, he is owed due process, and being restricted from presenting necessary evidence is a violation of that due process.