Canadian parliament's invite to Nazi sparks diplomatic crisis

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Oct 2023 12:43

Canadian Parliament’s standing ovation for the WWII Nazi soldier has sparked a diplomatic predicament for the Canadian government and Ukraine, as per US World War II veteran Frank Cohn.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau join a standing ovation for Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario, on September 22, 2023. (AP)

US World War II veteran Frank Cohn said, as quoted by Sputnik, that the Canadian Parliament's celebration of Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old ex-volunteer affiliated with the 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division, a Nazi military unit that was deemed a criminal organization during the 1946 Nuremberg trials, is causing a diplomatic predicament for both the Canadian government and Ukraine.

"The invitation of the 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi to the Canadian Parliament was certainly a diplomatic mess and probably meant to be such by the speaker who must have wanted to embarrass [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau," Cohn said.

The US veteran raised doubts about whether the Canadian parliamentarians, who greeted Hunka with applause, had knowledge of his history or simply invited him as an ordinary individual with Ukrainian heritage.

"If they knew the truth, Trudeau is in real trouble and there were certainly antisemitic vibes," he said.

What you need to know

On September 22nd, Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old ex-volunteer affiliated with the 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division, received an invitation to the Canadian parliament from Speaker Anthony Rota.

During this visit, Hunka was praised as a "hero" for his WWII combat against the Russians. The Ukrainian President was present at the time with the aim of seeking support in the Ukraine war.

However, following the revelation of Hunka's involvement with the infamous SS, Speaker Rota resigned due to the ensuing public backlash. Canadian journalists and activists from various backgrounds pointed out that this individual's history had been glossed over by veterans' organizations in Western countries.

This issue triggered significant outrage on social media while users expressed astonishment at the recognition of "an immigrant who served in a military unit of the Third Reich and faced accusations of committing war crimes."