Not a good look. Canadian PM apologises
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66943005
Speaker Anthony Rota, who has assumed responsibility for inviting Yaroslav Hunka, 98, resigned on Tuesday.
The incident has drawn global condemnation.
Mr Trudeau also apologised directly to Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Canada and present in parliament, saying: "Canada is deeply sorry."
The Ukrainian leader was among those pictured applauding Mr Hunka, an image that has been exploited in Russian propaganda.
"All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context," Mr Trudeau said. "It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust."
He said what happened was "deeply, deeply painful" to Jewish people and the many millions who were targeted by the Nazi genocide.
Mr Hunka, who fought with a Nazi unit in World War Two, got a standing ovation and was praised as a Ukrainian and Canadian "hero".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66914756
But for some Ukrainians, these veterans are viewed as freedom fighters, who only fought alongside the Nazis to resist the Soviets in their quest for an independent Ukraine.
Jewish groups have condemned Canadian monuments to Ukrainian veterans who fought in the Waffen-SS, saying they are "a glorification and celebration of those who actively participated in Holocaust crimes".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66943005
[b]"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologised on behalf of Canada's parliament after a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit was unwittingly applauded in parliament.[/b]
"This is a mistake that deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada," Mr Trudeau said on Wednesday.Speaker Anthony Rota, who has assumed responsibility for inviting Yaroslav Hunka, 98, resigned on Tuesday.
The incident has drawn global condemnation.
Mr Trudeau also apologised directly to Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Canada and present in parliament, saying: "Canada is deeply sorry."
The Ukrainian leader was among those pictured applauding Mr Hunka, an image that has been exploited in Russian propaganda.
"All of us who were in this House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped even though we did so unaware of the context," Mr Trudeau said. "It was a horrendous violation of the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust."
He said what happened was "deeply, deeply painful" to Jewish people and the many millions who were targeted by the Nazi genocide.
Mr Hunka, who fought with a Nazi unit in World War Two, got a standing ovation and was praised as a Ukrainian and Canadian "hero".
He served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command.
Division members are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, although the unit has not been found guilty of any war crimes by a tribunal."https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66914756
"Yaroslav Hunka, the Ukrainian veteran who was applauded in parliament this week, served with a Nazi unit called the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS - also known as the Galicia Division - that was formed in 1943.
His appearance was criticised by Jewish groups and other parliamentarians alike. MP Anthony Rota, who invited him, has since resigned as the Speaker of the House of Commons, saying he deeply regretted the mistake.But this is not the first time that Ukraine's role in WWII has sparked a debate in Canada, which is home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora outside of Europe.
Several monuments dedicated to Ukrainian WWII veterans who served in the Galicia Division exist across the country. Jewish groups have long denounced these dedications, arguing soldiers in the Galicia Division swore allegiance to Adolf Hitler, and were either complicit in Nazi Germany's crimes or had committed crimes themselves.But for some Ukrainians, these veterans are viewed as freedom fighters, who only fought alongside the Nazis to resist the Soviets in their quest for an independent Ukraine.
The Galicia Division was a part of the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military unit that on the whole was found to have been involved in numerous atrocities, including the massacring of Jewish civilians.
During the war, more than one million Jews in Ukraine were killed. Most of them were shot to death near their homes by Nazi Germans and their collaborators.Jewish groups have condemned Canadian monuments to Ukrainian veterans who fought in the Waffen-SS, saying they are "a glorification and celebration of those who actively participated in Holocaust crimes".
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)
