Ben Roberts-Smith, one of the most decorated living Australian soldiers awaiting trial on war crimes charges, participated in a video collaboration between his brand Epic 1 Two and Zero Limits supplements, a company run by a right-wing influencer. Zero Limits had promoted a product named "war crimes" months earlier, an energy supplement flavoured as "kill or capture cola".
The collaboration was published on social media in October, and the video features Roberts-Smith, Zero Limits co-owner Chris Katelaris, also known as "Big Chocky", and others filmed during a gym workout. The video carries the graphic title "Zero Limits Supplements x Epic 1 Two", and both brands are tagged as "collaborators". It was also posted on the Instagram profiles of both brands.
The label of the controversial product depicted a hooded prisoner on a chair in a room with an Australian flag on the wall, and a tall figure in a balaclava and military uniform. In a video from 26 July, Katelaris promoted the product while holding a container in the gym. "Do you want to drink from a prosthetic? Do you want to reconstruct a Spartan strike? Do you want to execute your workout?" Katelaris said, adding: "War crimes, that is your pre-workout." Zero Limits states that it is "owned and operated by veterans", and the "war crimes" product is currently not listed on its websites.
Roberts-Smith is not shown endorsing, mentioning or using that specific product. However, he praised another Zero Limits product, posting an Instagram story from the Epic 1 Two profile in which he drinks a separate pre-workout drink. He sent the brand a "huge shoutout" and told followers to "visit their website and check it out", sharing a link to its web address. Roberts-Smith also appeared on a Zero Limits podcast last week, hosted by another founder of the supplement company of the same name.
Roberts-Smith was arrested in April and charged on five counts of war crime – murder – in connection with three incidents from his service in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2012. He denied the charges, saying in a statement after his arrest: "As I have always maintained: I categorically deny all these allegations... I will use this opportunity to finally clear my name. I am proud of my service in Afghanistan." The three incidents allegedly involve Afghan nationals who were killed by Roberts-Smith or a soldier under his command while he was present, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in April.
Roberts-Smith was previously found liable in a defamation case – applying the civil standard of balance of probabilities – for killing unarmed civilians during his service in the Australian Special Air Service (SAS) regiment in Afghanistan. A federal court found under the lower civil standard that Roberts-Smith struck Afghan man Ali Jan in the chest, causing him to fall backwards over a ledge and hit the ground. The court found that Roberts-Smith then ordered another soldier to kill him. Roberts-Smith has also been reported in media to have shot an unarmed captive with a prosthetic leg. The leg was later used as a drinking vessel among soldiers.
Zero Limits, Katelaris and Roberts-Smith were contacted for comment. In a statement via lawyers, Zero Limits did not answer specific questions, but simply said: "The products are great, definitely check them out." In a statement via the same lawyer, Katelaris also did not answer specific questions, but said: "If you thought this was crazy, wait for the next campaign." Katelaris lists himself as a "co-owner" of the supplement brand in his Instagram bio. He also promotes a range of products under his own name in support of Roberts-Smith, including t-shirts, caps, hoodies and can holders with the inscription "I stand with BRS".
