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Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II, was invited and given a rousing welcome by the Canadian Parliament during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo/CBC News
OTTAWA – The Canadian House of Representatives (DPR) gave a standing ovation to a veteran Ukraine who served in a military unit Nazi during World War II.
This welcome occurred during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Canada last week.
Canadian Jewish organizations and critics were angry and criticized the Canadian Parliament.
“The FSWC (Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center) is shocked that the Canadian Parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during World War II that was involved in the mass murder of Jews and others. An apology and explanation must be given,” said FSWC, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, on social media
Citing a report from the Toronto Star, Monday (25/9/2023), videos and photos show the Canadian Parliament cheering on Friday during Zelensky’s visit to the country’s capital, Ottawa. Members of the Canadian Parliament also paid tribute to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.
The First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galician Division, fought for the Nazis as its paramilitary branch under the Schutzstaffel organization.
“The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited and given a standing ovation in Parliament was surprising. In a time of increasing antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, it is deeply disturbing to see the Canadian Parliament rise to applaud someone who was a member of a unit in the Waffen-SS, the branch of the Nazi military responsible for the murder of Jews and others and declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials ,” continued FSWC.
Commentators on social media joined the FSWC in condemning the Canadian House of Representatives for celebrating Hunka, whom some called a “literal Nazi” and a “monster.”
Canadian columnist Joe Warmington called for a “full apology” by the Canadian Parliament. “For celebrating World War II Nazis in the House of Commons,” Warmington wrote in an opinion piece published Sunday in the Toronto Sun.
