Veterans, defence community paying the price for government inaction on violent activism

The Dandenong Cenotaph & Pillars of Freedom shrine, a monument commemorating Australian servicemen and women who have served in all wars and conflicts, was vandalised in the latest round of targeted activism this week.

Around 50 wreaths laid at the Clow Street cenotaph in Dandenong, south-east Melbourne were destroyed and thrown across the surrounding area following a service on Remembrance Day this week.

“We were extremely disappointed to learn of the damage to the wreaths and flowers placed at the Dandenong Cenotaph during Monday’s service,” the City of Greater Dandenong said in a statement.

“The matter has been reported to Victoria Police and we will cooperate with any investigation.”

The destruction was later cleaned up by volunteers from Young Veterans and the Dandenong RSL.

“The state of the Dandenong Cenotaph three hours after the Remembrance Day ceremony. This breaks my heart that anybody would desecrate a memorial dedicated to the sacrifice of thousands that provided them with the safety they now have in this country. I am simply appalled,” Versorium Solutions managing director Cameron Joyce said.

Earlier this year the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was desecrated with pro-Palestine graffiti in an attack that Returned & Services League of Australia national president Greg Melick described as “defilement”.

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“The vandal did not even have the courage to be identified and the painting of the slogans on the memorial is appalling,” Melick said at the time.

“People are entitled to protest, but the defilement of a memorial to those who served, suffered and died in the service of the Australian nation and to protect the freedoms and way of life of all Australians is disgusting and to be deplored.

“This action does absolutely nothing to advance the protesters’ cause and, in fact, will likely result in a major loss of support.

“The brave Australians who have served and died in serving our country in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations over the past century or more had nothing to do with the current conflict in Gaza or the situation confronting Palestinians, and to use our national War Memorial as a platform to protest is contemptible.”

Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson said the memorial’s purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war or on operational service.

“I am saddened by graffiti which desecrated the heritage building at the Australian War Memorial overnight. It is the memorial’s view that the vandalism is both inappropriate and offensive.”

Twenty-year-old unemployed man Brendan Evans later appeared in court for allegedly spray-painting pro-Palestine slogans on the exterior of the ABC Canberra building in Dickson on four occasions across February and March 2024, as well as allegedly spray-painting slogans on the exterior of the Australian War Memorial in June.

Evans reportedly applied for and was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on 26 September. He was charged with damaging Commonwealth property and damaging Commonwealth property in joint commission with another person.

Let's not forget that militant protest groups and their supporters also attended the Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exposition in Melbourne in September earlier this year.

Organisers included groups such as Disrupt Land Forces, Students for Palestine, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Wage Peace - Disrupt War, and Extinction Rebellion Victoria while Australian Greens Party officials also attended.

Protesters threw acid, paint, urine and faeces at Victorian Police deployed to keep order and allow defence industry representatives to enter the venue without being assaulted.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Greens senator Jordon Steele-John told members of Parliament that “if we are to believe that the men and women of the ADF gave their lives in wars and conflicts to defend such freedoms, then you have to engage with the reality that protesting, that painting is a form of speech”.

These types of incidents go well beyond freedom of speech and firmly into the realm of criminal damage.

Final thoughts

We can also be assured that the attacks will continue. In a piece published during April this year, the Solidarity socialist group boasted of an increasing number of protests directed at the defence industry in Australia.

Those included targeting and occupation of a Ferra Engineering factory in Queensland, picketing of a Heat Treatment Australia factory in Melbourne and protests at a Quickstep factory as well as protests at university campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

"The campaign, Shut Down Ferra, was launched on 8 January when activists stormed the factory. Despite intense police intimidation following the first action, there have been successful pickets on three occasions, with more actions planned," according to Solidarity.

I think that we can firmly rebuke that the “kid gloves approach” has not worked, and in some cases, has emboldened violent activism in this country throughout the year.

It is unthinkable to even remotely consider that Australia should be condoning the targeted vandalism of memorials to our military fallen. Further to that end, our nation should not be allowing violent extremists to attack the defence industry we will likely rely on to ensure the future of this country.