A scandal has erupted in Canada over the invitation of a veteran from the “Galicia” division to the parliament for President Zelensky’s speech

In Western media, there is discussion about the scandal surrounding the visit of the President of Ukraine to Canada, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the country’s parliament.

During the Ukrainian president’s speech, 98-year-old veteran of the SS “Galicia” division, Yaroslav Hunka, was invited to attend. When the Speaker of the Parliament, Anthony Rota, introduced him as a “hero of Ukraine and Canada,” the audience gave him a standing ovation. Both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined in the applause. Zelenskyy waved his hand and raised his fist in a greeting.

Afterward, a scandal erupted. The Simon Wiesenthal Center (USA), an organization focused on Jewish issues, expressed dissatisfaction with the incident. Subsequently, the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada issued an apology.

“I have since been made aware of additional information that leads me to regret my decision to have done this (invite Hunka to the session),” Rota stated.

According to him, the Ukrainian delegation had no knowledge of plans to invite the “Galicia” veteran.

He also offered an apology to the Jewish communities of Canada.

In the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Speaker’s apology was deemed the “right decision,” and they also claimed not to have been aware of Hunka’s invitation to the House of Commons.

The First Ukrainian Division or the 14th SS Volunteer Infantry Division “Galicia” was a tactical unit of the SS forces of Nazi Germany, composed of Ukrainian volunteers and collaborators who participated in World War II from 1943 to 1945.

The Holocaust research center “Friends of Simon Wiesenthal” subsequently published a statement stating that Hunka served in the 14th SS Grenadier Division “Galicia,” a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust have been documented.

“The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited and received a standing ovation in the parliament is shocking,” the center said, urging the government to issue a public apology.

The invitation of the “Galicia” veteran was also condemned by other Jewish organizations in Canada, including B’nai Brith Canada and the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs.