Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Anthony Roth had to apologize for welcoming at a meeting a Ukrainian veteran who fought on the side of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The Guardian newspaper writes about this.
The media notes that after the speech of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in parliament, deputies and Zelensky himself gave a standing ovation to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who was introduced as a war hero who fought as part of the First Ukrainian Division. The Speaker of the House himself asked for this. At the same time, Zelensky raised his fist as a sign of gratitude.
However, Rota later apologized, noting that he did not know on whose side Huncke was fighting. “I subsequently became aware of additional information and I regret my decision,” Rota said. According to him, his colleagues and the Ukrainian delegation did not know about his plan to invite Hunke, who lives in the same area as himself, to the meeting.
“I especially want to offer my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” Rota added.
As it turned out, during World War II, Huncke fought on the side of the SS Galicia division, which fought against the Red Army. The division participated in war crimes against Jews, Poles, Belarusians and Slovaks, the newspaper writes. The media also recalls that Zelensky himself is Jewish and lost relatives during the Holocaust. There have been no comments from the Ukrainian leader yet.
At the same time, the Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov announced plans to send a note to the Canadian Foreign Ministry and the office of the Prime Minister of Canada due to the incident. “The embassy will take appropriate official steps. We, of course, will demand clarification from the Canadian government,” the ambassador noted, RIA Novosti reports.
The leader of Ukraine, we add, visited Ottawa to enlist the support of Western allies in the conflict with the Russian Federation.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
