During Zelensky’s visit
Standing ovation for ex-SS man: Canada’s head of parliament apologizes
Apparently not informed: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to Jaroslaw Hunka, who served in the Waffen-SS during World War II
© Patrick Doyle / The Canadian Press /AP / DPA
During Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Canada, a Ukrainian-Canadian war veteran was honored, who later turned out to be a former member of the Waffen-SS. After heavy criticism, Canada’s Parliament Speaker Rota is now apologizing.
By honoring a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran who fought for the Nazis against the Russians in World War II, Canada’s Speaker of Parliament during the visit of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj caused a scandal in the Canadian House of Commons. Parliament Speaker Antony Rota apologized on Sunday (local time) for honoring the 98-year-old, whom he called a “Ukrainian hero” and a “Canadian hero”. The Ukrainian immigrant Jaroslaw Hunka was a member of the Waffen-SS during World War II.
After Zelenskyj’s speech on Friday, he “greeted a person in the gallery” and then received new information that made him “regret having done this,” Rota now explained. He particularly apologized to the Jewish community.
The speaker of the parliament praised the 98-year-old Hunka as a “hero” who fought “for the independence of Ukraine against the Russians” in the Second World War. Rota explained that he took this initiative because Hunka comes from his constituency and that is why he became aware of him.
Trudeau and Zelenskyj not informed
The incident sparked massive criticism from Jewish organizations and the conservative opposition. The Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center described it as “shocking” that a “veteran who had served in a Nazi military unit was invited to parliament and given a standing ovation.” The parliamentary speaker’s statements ignored the fact that Hunka “served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS,” a Nazi unit “whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well documented,” the organization criticized.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office denied any involvement in the incident. Neither the head of government nor the Ukrainian delegation were informed of the invitation in advance, the office explained on the online service X, which was previously called Twitter. The conservative opposition, on the other hand, spoke of a “serious misjudgment”.
Zelenskyj traveled to Canada on Thursday after a visit to the USA. In the Canadian Parliament he called for further support for his country against the Russian war of aggression.