- Following criticism from parliamentarians from all political parties for honoring a Ukrainian soldier who served in a Nazi unit during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to Parliament, Canada’s House of Commons speaker Anthony Rota resigned.
- Hunka, who fought for Ukrainian freedom from the Russians and still stands with the military today, was referred to as a “hero” by Rota. Zelensky, who is Jewish and had family slaughtered by the Nazis, gave the crowd two standing ovations while pumping his fist.
- Nevertheless, a number of Jewish organizations emphasized that Hunka had belonged to the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, a branch of the Waffen-SS composed primarily of ethnic Ukrainians.
- In a statement released on Sunday, Rota expressed sorrow for his actions, noting that Hunka was a representative of his legislative district in Canada and that, since Zelensky’s speech, he had learned new details that had made him second-guess his choice. Monday, he apologized once more.
- The New Democratic Party initially called for Rota to resign, followed by a number of other opposition parties, and some Liberal members, including the foreign minister, who all agreed. Nevertheless, calls for Rota’s resignation persisted.
- The event brought to light a contentious era in Ukrainian history when some nationalists joined Nazi forces to drive out the Soviets. Rota admitted that his acts hurt the Jewish community and those who had survived Nazi crimes, and he accepted “full responsibility” for them. To allow for the election of a new speaker, he will step down by the end of the day on Wednesday.
- Following criticism from parliamentarians from all political parties for honoring a Ukrainian soldier who served in a Nazi unit during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to Parliament, Canada’s House of Commons speaker Anthony Rota resigned.
- Hunka, who fought for Ukrainian freedom from the Russians and still stands with the military today, was referred to as a “hero” by Rota. Zelensky, who is Jewish and had family slaughtered by the Nazis, gave the crowd two standing ovations while pumping his fist.
- Nevertheless, a number of Jewish organizations emphasized that Hunka had belonged to the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, a branch of the Waffen-SS composed primarily of ethnic Ukrainians.
- In a statement released on Sunday, Rota expressed sorrow for his actions, noting that Hunka was a representative of his legislative district in Canada and that, since Zelensky’s speech, he had learned new details that had made him second-guess his choice. Monday, he apologized once more.
- The New Democratic Party initially called for Rota to resign, followed by a number of other opposition parties, and some Liberal members, including the foreign minister, who all agreed. Nevertheless, calls for Rota’s resignation persisted.
- The event brought to light a contentious era in Ukrainian history when some nationalists joined Nazi forces to drive out the Soviets. Rota admitted that his acts hurt the Jewish community and those who had survived Nazi crimes, and he accepted “full responsibility” for them. To allow for the election of a new speaker, he will step down by the end of the day on Wednesday.
Source:
Washington Post
