1695595226 A former Nazi soldier receives a standing ovation in the

A former Nazi soldier receives a standing ovation in the House of Commons –

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MP and Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota apologized for paying tribute Friday to a veteran who fought in a Nazi force during World War II.

• Also read: “Thank you, Canada”: Volodymyr Zelensky praises Canada’s support during his speech in Ottawa

• Also read: The Ukrainian community in Quebec is proud of Zelensky’s visit

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While Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky delivered a speech to the Canadian Parliament during his visit to Canada, the Liberal MP for Nipissing-Timiskaming invited Yaroslav Hunka, a Canadian of Ukrainian origin.

The Speaker of the House of Commons introduced Mr. Hunka as “a Canadian and Ukrainian veteran of the Second World War who fought against the Russians for Ukrainian independence.”

Anthony Rota even called him a “Ukrainian and Canadian hero.”

A former Nazi soldier receives a standing ovation in the

Common room

The entire House of Commons then gave 98-year-old Jaroslaw Hunka a standing ovation. However, several Jewish associations complained that the latter had fought for a Nazi force.

The President apologizes

On Sunday evening, Anthony Rota apologized “to Jewish communities across Canada and around the world” in a press release.

“I have since received new information that makes me regret my decision to introduce this person,” it said.

“I want to make it clear that no one, including my parliamentary colleagues and the Ukrainian delegation, was aware of my intention or my speech before I delivered it,” he added, specifying that he takes full responsibility.

“We are deeply disturbed and disturbed that a Ukrainian veteran of the infamous 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Nazi SS – who actively participated in the genocide of Jews – has received a standing ovation from the Canadian Parliament,” said the Jewish and Israeli Center Relations Advisory Committee (CIJA) on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Shocking

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) was also deeply shocked by the ovation Mr Hunka received in Parliament.

“At a time when we are experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, it is incredibly disturbing to see the Canadian Parliament applauding a person who was a member of a Waffen-SS unit, a Nazi division that “It was responsible for the murder of several Jews and others and was recognized as a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials,” the FSWC said.

Canadian lawyer Jason Cherniak, who attended President Zelensky’s speech on Friday, also expressed his outrage on social networks.

“When a supposed war hero was introduced, I stood up and applauded him. I assumed he was a soldier fighting against communist occupation after World War II. Now that I found out that he was a voluntary member of an SS unit, my heart hurts,” Mr. Cherniak wrote on X.

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre sharply criticized Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government, saying they “made sure this former Nazi fighter was recognized in the House of Commons.”

“This is a serious lapse in judgment by Justin Trudeau, whose Office of Protocol is responsible for organizing and approving all guests and programs for state visits of this nature,” charged Mr. Poilievre.

The latter demands a personal apology from the Canadian Prime Minister.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also responded, saying he was also concerned about honoring a former Nazi soldier.

“He was not a guest of the NDP and we were unaware of his past and his connection to the Nazi regime during the Second World War,” Mr Singh said.

The leader of the New Democrats promised that his party would consult the Liberal Party of Canada to find out how this incident occurred.