The Canadian parliament has given a standing ovation to Yaroslav Hunka, a former member of a Nazi unit. The situation has led to calls for a monument honoring the unit to be taken down.
A Deeply Embarrassing Incident
Hunka was applauded and called a war hero by the Canadian parliament, which was seemingly unaware of his Nazi history. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy happened to be visiting at the time and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since called the incident “deeply embarrassing.”
A Controversial Monument
Now, a monument honoring Hunka and those who fought in the 14th SS Division, which is also known as the Galicia Division, is now being heavily criticized, with some people even calling for it to be torn down.
Dan Panneton’s Words
Dan Panneton, director of allyship and community engagement from the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, said: “It’s unacceptable to have monuments dedicated to a unit affiliated with the SS because they were complicit in the Holocaust.”
Glorifying Nazis With Monuments
Located around 25 miles from Toronto, the monument was vandalized in 2020. “Nazi war monument,” someone spray painted onto it. Jewish groups, such as B’nai Brith Canada, have called such monuments “Nazi-glorifying.”
Freeing Ukraine From Soviet Rule
Despite the criticism and according to David Marples, a professor of Eastern European history, some Ukrainians living in Canada say that those within the Galicia Division were there because they were trying to free their country from the Soviets.
They Were Nazis
Regardless of Marples’ assertion, Jewish groups understandably want the monument gone. B’nai Brith Canada leader Michael Mostyn reportedly said: “The bottom line is that this unit, the 14th SS unit, were Nazis.”
Extraditing Hunka From Canada
The unit in question has been accused of slaughtering hundreds of Polish civilians. As such, a Polish minister has “taken steps” to extradite Hunka and prosecute him. The Galicia Division was formed in 1943. It was a voluntary unit.
The Internet’s Response
News of the Canadian parliament’s gaffe and the fallout that followed was shared across social media. One commenter wrote: “This happens way too often. Are public officials too incompetent and lazy to do a basic background check before heaping praise on an individual or organization?”
Some People Speculated
Some people even suggested that the parliament’s praise was no mistake. “This was obviously planned out. How could someone make such a huge mistake? I don’t know. How about a quick search of his military history? Apparently it wasn’t done,” one individual said.
Unbelievable and Outrageous
For the most part, people were baffled by the situation. “They didn’t know he was an actual SS Nazi at the time. They didn’t bother to do a check on this guy. Also, he’s an actual war criminal. Look it up,” one commenter wrote. “Entire Canadian parliament applauded an SS man. It is unbelievable and outrageous,” another said.
The Damage Is Done
A minority of individuals attempted to defend the parliament’s praise. “This seems like a silly oversight and error. This wasn’t intentional and the speaker apologized when everyone realized the error,” one person said. “Yeah but the damage is done, unfortunately,” another hit back.
A Case of Pure Stupidity
“Oops! Someone didn’t do due diligence. Smells like someone did it to cause embarrassment and no one spotted it,” one commenter wrote. “I think it was just pure stupidity, to be honest,” another replied.
A Serious Question
Others questioned why Hunka has not yet been prosecuted for war crimes. “Serious question, why is he still just walking around free if we know he was a Nazi? Not even a normal soldier, an SS member to boot,” one person said.
A Ridiculously Bad Mistake
For the most part, people simply expressed their shock. “This is so bad. The Canadians are a bunch of clowns. How could they [mess] this up so bad? How can you not check the background of a guy who fought in Ukraine in WW2? This is ridiculously bad,” one individual wrote.
Regarding the Monument
In regard to the monument, one commenter said: “How on Earth is that monument allowed to exist? I do not understand. I really do not understand. The applause is one thing… but a monument? Intended to honor? What is going on?”
The Concern of Russian Propaganda
Another person wrote: “I’m really worried. This will undoubtedly be used as Russian propaganda. They’ll say Ukrainians and Canadians support Nazis. It was a mistake. A terrible mistake that no apology will ever be good enough for – but a mistake nonetheless.”
Fuel for Propaganda
Echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “Well done, Canada. Feeding the Russians fuel for their propaganda, I see. Honestly, I dread to think what they’ll say about this. Hopefully, people will have too much sense to believe it… but I doubt that.”
Get That Statue Down
Another individual wrote: “I don’t understand how this happened. Surely they did a quick background check? A quick internet search? Surely somebody spoke to someone? I don’t understand. And get that statue down, obviously.”
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