Canadian Jewish organizations and social media critics are condemning the Canadian Parliament for giving a man who fought for the Nazis a standing ovation at an event marking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the country.
“FSWC is appalled that the Canadian Parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during World War II and was implicated in the mass murder of Jews and others. We owe an apology and explanation,” said the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Videos and photos show Canada’s Parliament erupting in cheers on Friday during Zelensky’s visit to the country’s capital Ottawa, as Canadian lawmakers also honored Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant who fought for the First Ukrainian Division, according to Toronto Star. This division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galizien Division and, according to the medium, fought for the Nazis as the paramilitary arm of the Schutzstaffel.
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“The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited to Parliament and received a standing ovation is shocking. At a time of increasing anti-Semitism and Holocaust distortions, it is incredibly disturbing to see the Canadian Parliament rise to applaud a person who… “was a member of a unit of the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military division responsible for the “It was responsible for the murder of Jews and others and was declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials,” the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center continued in their statement.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pay tribute to Yaroslav Hunka, who was present in World War II and fought with the First Ukrainian Division before later emigrating to Canada, in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, September 13 . 22, 2023. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP) (AP)
Social media commenters have joined the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in condemning the Canadian House of Representatives for celebrating Hunka referred to as a “literal Nazi.” And “Monster.”
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Canadian columnist Joe Warmington called for a “full apology” for the House of Commons’ celebration of a World War II Nazi in an editorial published Sunday in the Toronto Sun.
Local Canadian media said the Associated Press identified the 98-year-old in a photo caption as a veteran of the “First Ukrainian Division in World War II” and other media outlets described the man as a Ukrainian immigrant to Canada who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians.
The Soviet Union played a crucial role in the victory over Nazi Germany, including during the Battle of Stalingrad, which marked a turning point in the war. The U.S. State Department explains on its website that “without the remarkable efforts of the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, the United States and Great Britain could hardly have achieved a decisive military victory over Nazi Germany.”
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday that “the Speaker of the House has apologized and taken full responsibility for the invitation and recognition in Parliament.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kiev, Ukraine, June 10, 2023 (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“That was right,” the office continued. “The Prime Minister’s Office and the Ukrainian delegation were not informed in advance of the invitation or recognition.”
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“Canada will continue to stand up for a free Ukraine, and we were proud to host President Zelensky and reiterate our support.”
Hunka was reportedly invited by House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota, a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, who introduced him as a war hero, according to the Edmonton City News.
Rota’s office also sent a statement to Fox News Digital saying the speaker regretted inviting Hunka.
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“I later received further information that made me regret my decision [invite Hunka]”Rota said in a statement. “I want to make it clear that no one, including my parliamentary colleagues and the Ukrainian delegation, was aware of my intention or my comments before I made them.”
PRODUCTION – September 15, 2023, Czech Republic, Theresienstadt: At the entrance to the small Theresienstadt fortress there is the inscription “Work sets you free”. A Gestapo prison was located here during the Second World War. The Nazis built the Theresienstadt ghetto in the Great Fortress. The opera “Brundibar” by the composer Hans Krasa with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister was premiered on September 23, 1943 in the Theresienstadt ghetto created by the Nazis. Today there is a museum there. (to dpa “Children’s opera “Brundibar”: Singing in the face of death”) Photo: Michael Heitmann/dpa (Photo by Michael Heitmann/picture Alliance via Getty Images) (Getty)
The honor and standing ovation came as part of Zelensky’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
“I have many warm words and thanks to you from Ukraine,” Zelensky told Trudeau in the Canadian prime minister’s office. “They helped us on the battlefield financially and with humanitarian aid. …Stay with us until we win.”
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Trudeau, also present in the House of Commons on Friday, said Canada had provided around $6.7 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began.
“Moscow must lose once and for all. And it will lose,” Zelensky said during his speech in parliament.https://www.foxnews.com/category/topic/world-war-twoworld