UN Says Condemns Honoring Nazis But Takes Note of Canadian Parliament Speaker’s Apology

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The United Nations stands against honoring individuals who took part in Nazi activities but acknowledges the apology of Canada's parliament speaker for recently featuring a Nazi soldier, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

"From what I've seen in the reports, the speaker... of the House in Ottawa apologized for inviting this individual, giving the reasons that he gave. We, of course, stand against any honoring of people who actively took part in Nazi activities during the Second World War," Dujarric said during a press briefing.

On Friday, 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who fought in the ranks of the Schutzstaffel’s (SS) 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, received a standing ovation from the entire Canadian legislature. Hunka's recognition came as House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota delivered introductory remarks prior to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the Canadian parliament. In the face of an international criticism for featuring an SS Nazi soldier to a standing ovation by all Canadian legislators.

On Sunday, Speaker of the House of Commons (HoC) Anthony Rota, apologized to Parliamentarians.

“On Friday, in my remarks following the address by the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery. My intention was to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a new one; that the Ukrainians have unfortunately been subject to foreign aggression for far too long and that this must end," Rota's statement said.

The Speaker's statement was followed by remarks from the Government House Leader Karina Gould who thanked Rota for his apology, nonetheless noting that his decision hurt Parliamentarians who trusted him as they rose to applaud Hunka.

"I think this unfortunate situation has been deeply embarrassing for Canada's Parliament," Gould said, adding that the embarrassment extends to Canada as a state and to the Ukrainian President.

The NDP House Leader Peter Julian said Rota's mistake was unforgivable and called for him to present his resignation. "Ultimately, this was an unforgivable error which puts the entire House in disrepute," he said.

Conservative lawmaker Michelle Rempel Garner said that neither her nor the party would take collective responsibility for the decision's fallout, remarks that were echoed by several other of her colleagues such as Chris Warkentin, who advised Rota not to take responsibility for what he said for the decision's fallout.

According to historical data, the Great Patriotic War took the lives of nearly 27 million soldiers and civilians of the Soviet Union. Around 6.75 million Russians, 1.65 million Ukrainians, and 650,000 Belarussian among others, died in the fight against Nazi Germany.