Ukrainian Nazi's Invite to Canadian Parliament 'Diplomatic Mess' for Canada & Ukraine - US Veteran

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Celebrating Ukrainian Nazi Yaroslav Hunka at the Canadian Parliament represents a diplomatic mess for the county’s government and for Ukraine, US World War II veteran Frank Cohn told Sputnik.

"The invitation of the 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi to the Canadian Parliament was certainly a diplomatic mess and probably meant to be such by the speaker who must have wanted to embarrass [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau," Cohn said.

On September 22, Hunka, a former volunteer with the 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division, a Nazi military unit declared a criminal organization during the Nuremberg trials in 1946, was invited to the Canadian Parliament by Speaker Anthony Rota.

The invite coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the parliament, which saw Hunka lauded as a "hero" who fought against the Russians in World War II.

Rota resigned over the backlash that followed the exposure of Hunka's role in the notorious SS.

Cohn, who was born in a Jewish family in Germany in 1923 and escaped the Hitler regime 15 years later, expressed confidence that this situation was an "intentional stab at Ukraine." He also pointed out that it supported Russia’s position about a "Nazi-oriented government" in Kiev.

Yaroslav Hunka, Ukrainian Veteran for the Nazi 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division, At the Canadian Parliament during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech on September 22, 2024

© Simon Ateba / X

The US veteran questioned if the Canadian parliamentarians, who met Hunka with ovations, were aware of his background or just invited him as a regular individual with Ukrainian heritage.

"If they knew the truth, Trudeau is in real trouble and there were certainly antisemitic vibes," he said.

The honoring of a Nazi veteran prompted outcries from Russia and Poland, with senior officials suggesting Hunka should be extradited to face justice in a court of law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that Hunka's crimes had no statute of limitations.

The Israeli Anti-Fascist Movement urged the Canadian authorities to disclose information about Nazi criminals who took refuge in the country after World War II and bring to justice those of them who are still alive.

Antisemitism 'Well-Grounded' in US, Problem Has No Easy Answer

Antisemitism has strong roots in the United States and Canada and represents a serious problem with no easy answers, the US World War II veteran further told Sputnik.

"Of course, antisemitism is well grounded in the American scene and always has been," Cohn admitted.

He emphasized that the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II forced antisemitic individuals to keep silent for many years after Hitler’s defeat in 1945. However, in the years since, Holocaust denial has increased among the new generations due to a lack of knowledge about what happened.

Cohn, a German-born Jew who fled the country in 1938 amid anti-Jewish violence, emphasized that antisemitism has gained a lot of support, which has become a growing problem.

"There is the possibility of learning and education, which may help give them a better insight. They can be salvaged. Others may be defensive, they claim that they are not anti-Semites but are against Israel," he said.

The veteran also warned about the danger of the start of "another Holocaust." He expressed confidence that those supporting antisemitic groups can be found among Democratic leftists and Republican rightists in the US.

"What can be done with them? Initially - nothing. Speech is cheap. But as soon as anyone of these starts to use physical force, the prosecution must seek the steepest permitted penalties," he said.

However, Cohn warned that these efforts will take a long time, and American society may face many problems before seeing daylight.