Jewish group demands apology after parliament celebrates man who fought with Nazis
A Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was given a standing ovation in Canada’s Parliament, and Jewish groups are calling for an apology and explanation.
On Friday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited Ottawa and was welcomed by MPs. During this parliament visit, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka was introduced by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and “a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero.”
However, in a statement Sunday from Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, it said the Speaker had “ignor[ed]” the fact that Hunka served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, “a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented.”
A photo from a blog by an SS Galichina veterans’ group that shows Yaroslav Hunka (front row, middle) | The Forward
The FSWC added it was “shocking” to see the veteran be invited to Ottawa and given a standing ovation.
“At a time of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, it is incredibly disturbing to see Canada’s Parliament rise to applaud an individual who was a member of a unit in the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military branch responsible for the murder of Jews and others, and that was declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg Trials,” the statement reads. “There should be no confusion that this unit was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable.”
FSWC is appalled that Canada’s Parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during the Second World War implicated in the mass murder of Jews and others.
An apology and explanation is owed.https://t.co/ZkzIkOCvBe
— Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (@CanadianFSWC) September 24, 2023
In a tweet, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs added it is “deeply troubled & disturbed” the veteran was celebrated in Parliament.
“Canada’s Jewish community stands firmly with Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression,” it added. “But we can’t stay silent when crimes committed by Ukrainians during the Holocaust are whitewashed.”
We are deeply troubled & disturbed that a Ukrainian veteran of the infamous 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Nazi SS – which actively participated in the genocide of Jews – was celebrated with a standing ovation in the Canadian Parliament.
#Canada's Jewish community stands…— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) September 24, 2023
“I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Speaker of the House, Rota, shared on Sunday that learning more about the individual has caused him to regret recognizing the veteran.
He added, “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
“I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them,” Rota’s statement reads. “This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding and having been brought to my attention. I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world.”
In a statement to Daily Hive, the Prime Minister’s Office said Rota’s apology was “the right thing to do.”
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