Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota had profusely apologized for inviting a Nazi he hailed as a “Ukrainian hero, Canadian hero” into Parliament..But facing a barrage of Canadian and international condemnation, Rota’s senior Liberal colleagues scrambled to join opposition voices and offered him up as the sacrificial lamb for the shame 338 MPs brought on Canada..They demanded he resign..And so, Rota announced his resignation Tuesday, to take effect Wednesday..“I must step down as your Speaker. I reiterate my profound regret,” he said..Now just move along everyone. The MPs got their man..Not so fast..This shouldn’t be the end of the story. More resignations including those of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland are in order. The same MPs following a call from the Bloc Quebecois telling Rota to go, jumped to their feet and gave Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a thunderous standing ovation Friday..Hunka fought with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) in the Second World War. This Nazi division was part of Adolf Hitler’s brutal force that obediently carried out his Final Solution — a diabolical plan to exterminate the Jews..In the end, six million Jews — men, women and children — were mowed down by machine gun fire, shovelled into mass graves, starved, sent to concentration camps where they were brutally experimented on, and herded into gas chambers. Their ashes blew from smokestacks and wafted through the air..Many Poles and Slovakians were caught up in the slaughter..Some argue that Hunka was young, that unsuspecting Ukrainians joined the Nazis to fight Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s (1929-53) brutality and forced starvation of Ukrainians..But, even without Hitler, there was a tide of anti-Semitism that gripped the Galicia region where Hunka signed up. If reports are accurate, he followed in lockstep with his Nazi-sympathizing uncle. So, Hunka would have known what he was getting into..Besides, being trapped in a no-win situation doesn’t give anyone licence to inflict death and pain on others. The 1946 Nuremberg Tribunal identified the Galicia Division as a criminal organization involved in mass murder..Although there weren’t any convictions, Slovakians and Poles reported horrific atrocities at the hands of this division — including burning people alive in Polish villages..We don’t know how long Hunka fought, or exactly what he did. But we do know he wore the Nazi uniform and that’s enough..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tepid response to Hunka’s glorious welcome in the House heaped shame on a shamed Canada..“It is a good thing that Speaker Rota apologized personally, and I am sure he is reflecting now on how to ensure the dignity of the House going forward,” said Trudeau..The Liberals tried to erase the whole thing. But the Conservatives stopped them from deleting the recognition of a Nazi war veteran from the House record..Poland is rightfully demanding action..Polish Education and Science Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek appealed for Poland to examine documents to see if Hunka is wanted for war crimes..“The features of such crimes constitute the basis for applying to Canada for his extradition,” said Czarnek in a Tuesday letter to Institute of National Remembrance President Karol Nawrocki..He noted MPs awarded Hunka a standing ovation. “The audience would include, among others, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,” he said..How did his past escape Freeland’s attention? She’s more in tune with her Ukrainian brethren and their long history than she is with anything Canadian..Her grandfather Michael Chomiak’s ties to the Nazi’s are well documented, particularly his involvement with Krakiyski Visti a publication seized from the Jews and operated as a Nazi propaganda outlet..Did alarm bells not go off in Freeland’s head when Hunka was introduced as a fighter against the Russian allies during the war?.And did Global Affairs not vet Hunka? That’s their job. Something more than incompetence smells here..OK, so perhaps the MPs were caught off guard..Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who Canadian MPs blindly treat like he walks on water — cannot make the same claim..After begging for more money from Canada — that has given his war effort more than $9 billion — he leapt to his feet with everyone else to hail Hunka..Zelensky shouldn’t be let off the hook. As soon as Hunka was introduced as a solider who fought the Russians for Ukraine’s independence, Zelensky had to know he had fought on the side of the Nazis..Hard to believe that no one mentioned to him ahead of time that this “war hero” would be honoured..This isn’t the first time a brouhaha erupted after Zelensky addressed a foreign parliament..In April 2022, he begged the Greek Parliament for financial help via a teleconference at the invitation of conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos..Zelensky showed a video of a man of Greek origin who said he was a member of the Azov Battalion — an extreme militia formed in 2014 that’s now part of Ukraine’s National Guard. It has deep anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim roots..An uproar ensued over the Greek House giving the floor to an Azov Nazi named Mikhail..“The speech of members of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion in the Greek Parliament is a provocation," howled Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras..“The absolute responsibility lies with the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He talked about a historic day, but it is a historic shame. The solidarity with the Ukrainian people is a given. But the Nazis cannot have a say in Parliament,” he said..During that address Zelensky tugged at the Greek’s religious heartstrings while he appealed for cash..“Ukraine is one of the Orthodox countries that was Christianised by the Greeks. In Ukrainian culture and history it will be seen that we will lose a big part of history if we lose the culture brought by Greek culture.”.How many churches has he since shut down?.Ukraine simply told the Greeks the Azov regiment, accused of horrific war crimes was “reformed.”.In September 2021, a damning report on neo-Nazi supporters in Ukraine’s military ranks, was released by the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University..The report stated neo-Nazis in the military ranks of Ukraine’s National Army Academy bragged about receiving training from Canada and fellow NATO nations..The report Far-Right Group Made its Home in Ukraine’s Major Western Military Training Hub exposed the Centuria, a group led by the Azov movement which has “attacked” city council meetings, media outlets, the (sexual minority) community and more..In 2016, the UN’s High Commissioner of Human Rights accused the Azov militia of horrific torture and war crimes after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014..But when Russian President Vladimir Putin says heinous crimes were committed against Russian civilians, nobody wants to pay attention..Centuria members are famous for posting Nazi salutes on social media..So again, why did Zelensky jump to his feet to applaud Hunka?.MPs caught up in the standing ovation frenzy certainly must feel betrayed and hopefully ashamed..But wringing their hands about past crimes isn’t enough..What are they prepared to do about the anti-Semitism that infests Canada now?.“The standing ovation given by parliamentarians in the House of Commons and honour bestowed upon Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi SS division which participated in the genocide of Jews, was disgraceful and an insult to Jews around the world and to those who perished and suffered under the Nazi regime,” said Mike Fegelman, executive director of Honest Reporting Canada (HRC)..HRC tracks erroneous media reports on Israeli/Jewish affairs. The list of apologies it has forced from media outlets — many subsidized by Canadian taxpayers — is extensive..Many of the reports drip with hate, blatant lies and anti-Semitism..“As Members of Parliament rightly distanced themselves from the contemptible spectacle last week and House Speaker Anthony Rota rightly apologized, this should serve as a powerful reminder that mere decades after the end of World War Two, knowledge of the Holocaust is fading, requiring more education and consequently, how standing up against antisemitism and standing with the Jewish community has never been more important.”.Booting Rota was a start. The MPs have more work to do.
