Canada’s Prime Minister apologizes after honoring Ukrainian Nazi veteran in Parliament

It seemed like a moving and timely tribute by Canadian lawmakers to the 98-year-old war “hero” who fought for Ukraine’s independence during World War II. But it soon emerged that the man was actually part of a notorious Nazi unit, sparking outrage at the standing ovation he received in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Jaroslav Honka wiped away tears when he received the dramatic recognition from the Canadian House of Commons on Friday. He was singled out by Parliament Speaker Anthony Rota, who described him as a “hero” after a speech by the visiting Ukrainian leader, who in turn raised his fist during applause.

But Rutte apologized on Sunday after saying he “subsequently became aware of more information” about Honka’s past.

The underage Ukrainian actually fought the Soviet Union, but as part of the SS 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, “a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well documented,” according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Canadian human rights group It works to promote awareness of the Holocaust and combat anti-Semitism.

The center said in a statement on Sunday that it was “deeply disturbed” by Honka’s recognition in parliament and “further angered” that he received a standing ovation.

She added: “The fact that a war veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited to Parliament and received a standing ovation is shocking.” The Honka unit, also known as the 1st Ukrainian Division, was “responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with an unimaginable level of brutality and malice.”

Another Canadian-based advocacy group, the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, He said She was “very troubled and disturbed.” Michael Mostyn, CEO of Jewish human rights organization B’nai B’rith Canada, He called out the call and applause “Beyond obscene.”

Rutte, the Speaker of the House of Commons, said he alone was responsible for inviting Hunka, who lives in the district he represents, meaning neither Zelensky nor Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knew about it.

“I particularly want to extend my apologies to the Jewish communities in Canada and around the world,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Zelensky, who is Jewish, said members of his family were killed during the Holocaust. NBC News has contacted his office for comment.

Trudeau’s office said in a statement that Rutte apologized and accepted full responsibility.

“It was the right thing to do,” the statement read. “No advance notice was provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, nor to the Ukrainian delegation, regarding the invitation or recognition.”

Members of Parliament from all parties, not just Trudeau’s Liberal Party, rose to applaud Hunka. A Conservative Party spokesman said the party was unaware of his history at the time, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press said Honka could not immediately be reached for comment.

Russia seizes ‘disgusting’ confession

The issue of Nazis and far-right ideology is a particularly sensitive issue for Ukraine.

One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vague justifications for invading his former Soviet neighbor is that he wants to “cleanse” Ukraine of Nazism, which he says is run by Western-backed neo-Nazis.

There is little evidence for this claim. But Russian officials were quick to seize the applause Honka received as proof of this Extremist right-wing tendencies in Ukraine and their supporters.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described the scene as “disgusting” and accused Canadians of “not caring about memory,” during his daily briefing to reporters on Monday.

“A whole new generation has grown up in Canada unaware of fascism and Nazi crimes, and we can see Nazism being resurrected here and there, as for example in Ukraine,” he said.

Russia’s ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, said the invitation of the former Nazi to Parliament was not a coincidence, describing the Canadian government as “essentially the embodiment of neoliberal fascism,” according to the Russian news agency RIA.

Russia’s permanent representative in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, called it a “shameful day for Canada,” the news agency reported.

As in many other countries, including Russia, Ukraine has some far-right elements. It is worth noting that the Azov Battalion, which was incorporated into the Ukrainian National Guard, has a history of far-right, white supremacist insignia and beliefs.

Support also continues for prominent World War II-era nationalist figures, such as Stepan Bandera, revered by many as an anti-Soviet freedom fighter despite the fact that he was also a Nazi collaborator.

Just before World War II, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, and millions of Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Red Army against Nazi Germany. At the time, the country also had one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe, where residents had long been subjected to persecution and pogroms.

When German troops invaded the country in 1941, many Ukrainian nationalists welcomed them as liberators from the Soviet yolks, according to the Yad Vashem International Holocaust Remembrance Center. She added that “many Ukrainians and some prisoners of war willingly joined the German auxiliary units.”

This cooperation also extended to the “Bullet Holocaust”: the estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews who were shot near their homes – rather than deported to camps – by the Germans along with willing Ukrainians and Russians, according to the US Holocaust. Memorial Museum.