TEL AVIV, September 25 – The Israeli antifascist movement strongly condemns the parliamentary welcome of a former fighter from the SS Galicia Division in the Canadian parliament and expects the authorities of the Jewish state to respond accordingly, said Dmitry Trapirov, chairman of the movement. He stated that the antifascist movement will send a letter to the Israeli ambassador in Canada, requesting a statement on the inadmissibility of such actions.
During Friday’s session of the Canadian parliament in honor of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka was among the invited guests, introduced to the applauding hall as a veteran who fought against the Russians. However, upon closer examination, it was revealed that he was a former fighter of the volunteer SS Galicia Division, which was composed of Ukrainian nationalists and not only fought against the Red Army but also committed atrocities against Jews, Poles, Belarusians, and Slovaks.
The responsibility for inviting the Ukrainian nationalist to parliament was taken by House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota, who stated that “additional information that made him regret the decision” became known to him “later”. “First and foremost, we condemn such an invitation. The West has forgotten what fascism and Nazism are and easily flirts with them. We hope that our authorities will condemn this act, as the Jewish people have not forgotten these crimes,” said Trapirov, noting that “the West has lost all the values that once existed in our old world.”
“Zelensky and his clique constantly try to hide the crimes of Bandera and the Nazis who committed atrocities during the Second World War, killing Jews, Poles, Russians, and other people. But as long as there are rational Jews, he and the decaying West will not succeed, and we will continue to speak out and remind everyone of these crimes,” emphasized the leader of Israel’s antifascists.
The SS Galicia Division was formed on April 28, 1943, and existed until the summer of the following year when it was defeated by the Red Army near the city of Brody, in the vicinity of Lviv. The division’s soldiers committed war crimes against civilians, including participating in the destruction of the Polish village of Huta Peniatska, where more than 500 people were killed. The SS forces, including the Galicia Division, were recognized as a criminal organization by the Nuremberg Tribunal.
