Poland’s Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek said he has “taken steps” toward extraditing Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi veteran who was honored by Canadian parliamentarians.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada, House Speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as a Canadian-Ukrainian war hero, prompting a standing ovation from parliamentarians. Following the address, Mr Zelensky, who is Jewish and lost family members during the Holocaust, raised his fist in acknowledgement as the veteran saluted.
But the tribute triggered a wave of criticism from Jewish organizations, advocacy groups and leaders across the world, because Hunka fought with the First Ukrainian Division — also known as the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, which served under command of the Nazis in Adolf Hitler’s World War II fight against Russia’s Red Army.
As The Independent reported, Hunka’s Nazi unit are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, and were visited by SS leader Heinrich Himmler in 1944, who said his men would be “eager” to “liquidate the Poles”.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre said Mr Rota's remarks ignore “the horrific 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”. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) also welcomed Member of Parliament Anthony Rota’s resignation as Canada's Speaker of the House of Commons.
"Although important questions remain as to how this debacle occurred, Anthony Rota’s stepping down is the correct decision in the aftermath of the hurt this incident has caused to Canada's Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and other victims of the Nazi regime. It’s also paramount that Parliament investigates this incident and shares the results with all Canadians."
For Canada and Britain, WW2 history is shaping current debate
The Canadian parliament's standing ovation for a Ukrainian war veteran who turned out to be a former fighter for Nazi Germany has reignited calls to take down a monument honoring his unit.
Yaroslav Hunka, 98, who served in the voluntary 14th Grenadier Division of the Waffen SS, was applauded as a war hero by Canadian leaders without them realizing he actually fought in a Nazi unit. Now a monument honoring Hunka's unit in Canada's Oakville's St Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery is under fire again after his appearance made headlines.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since apologized for the gaffe, calling it "deeply embarrassing." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting Canada's parliament at the time of the standing ovation.
Parliamentarians and dignitaries who were present gave two standing ovations to the 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian war veteran Yaroslav Hunka — without knowing or understanding that the unit he fought with was formed by Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union.
University of Alberta professor John-Paul Himka pointed out that nobody seemed to immediately understand how Hunka’s military history implied he would have fought with the Germans.
That’s because of a great lack of understanding of history, even among elected MPs, he said.
But it has since been revealed, the former SS soldier Yaroslav Hunka, whose standing ovation in the Canadian parliament scandalised the world, was given refuge in Britain after World War II, the Morning Star report.
Despite having served in the Galician division of the Waffen-SS, a unit associated with massacres of Jews, Poles and other civilians during the war, Mr Hunka was allowed to settle in Britain.
The Morning Star have also reported that other Ukrainian Nazi fighters may still be at large in Britain.
Last year, the Manchester Evening News interviewed a 98-year-old Ukrainian named Iwan Kluka, who boasted of having “fought against Stalin’s Red Army.”
The newspaper deleted the article online after outraged readers pointed out that Mr Kluka had clearly fought alongside the Nazi invaders from Germany.
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