The Speaker of the Lower House of the Canadian Parliament, Anthony Rota, apologized yesterday because, two days earlier, during the reception of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Lower House, he introduced the Waffen SS veteran Jaroslav Hunka (98) as a "Ukrainian hero".
In World War II, Hunka was a member of the Waffen SS division, which was mainly made up of Ukrainians from Galicia. The Jewish human rights organization Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center has asked Rota to apologize for this, reports Hina.
In a statement, Rota took responsibility for, as he said, the omission and pointed out that the initiative was "completely" his. "I subsequently learned more information that makes me regret my decision," he said, extending his "deepest apologies" to Jewish communities.
"To explain why this person entered the hallowed halls of Parliament"
In the Lower House, Zelenski thanked Canada for its help in the war against Ukraine, and after Zelenski Rot's speech, he praised Hunka, who was present in the hall, for fighting for Ukrainian independence from Moscow. Hunka received a standing ovation from the audience.
"At a time of rising anti-Semitism and distortions of the Holocaust, it is incredibly disturbing to see the Canadian Parliament applauding an individual who was a member of the Waffen-SS, the Nazi military branch responsible for murdering Jews and others," the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said Sunday.
"An explanation must be given as to how this person entered the hallowed halls of the Canadian Parliament and received the recognition of the Speaker of the House and a standing ovation," it added. Rota stated in a statement that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukrainian delegation, was aware of his plan and the intended statement.
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