Reactions rain down on the president of Parliament who declared the Nazi commander a ‘hero’

Anthony Rota, speaker of the House of Commons, Canada’s lower house of parliament, has apologized for “honouring” a person who fought for the Nazis in World War II.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s speech in Canada’s House of Commons on September 22, Rota introduced Yaroslov Hunka, 98, who was in the room, as a “war hero” and thanked him for his services. . Rota was harshly criticized after it emerged that Hunka, who was greeted with applause by parliamentarians, had fought on the side of the Nazis in the Second World War.

In his written statement following the criticism, Rota said: “In my speech after the speech of the President of Ukraine, I praised a person in Parliament, but then I received information that made me regret this decision.” he said.

Rota claimed that the members of parliament and the Ukrainian delegation did not know that he would mention Hunka and said: “I apologize especially to the Jewish community in Canada and to the entire world. “I take full responsibility for this action.” She made a statement.

In his written statement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Rota took full responsibility for inviting Hunka and introducing him to parliament, and stated that the Prime Minister’s Office or the Ukrainian delegation had not been informed about this issue before. (AA)