Trudeau Apologizes After Canadian Lawmakers Praise Former Nazi Soldier

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, apologized on Wednesday, October 5, after the former Speaker of the House of Commons praised a 98-year-old former soldier of the Nazi Germany. Anthony Rota, who openly referred to Yaroslav Hunka as a 'hero', resigned from his position on Tuesday, October 4, following a wave of criticism, particularly from Jewish organizations. He told Canadian lawmakers that he takes responsibility for the consequences of this action and acknowledged that inviting the 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to participate in a session of the House of Commons held last Friday in honor of Volodymyr Zelensky was a mistake. The House of Commons had praised this soldier during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, recognizing him as a Ukrainian who fought against Russia, and lawmakers stood and applauded him twice in respect. According to Reuters, Mr. Trudeau expressed particular regret for the predicament in which Mr. Zelensky was placed. In the days following the Canadian Parliament ceremony, it was revealed that Yaroslav Hunka had fought in the 'Waffen-SS' unit of the Nazi German army during World War II. Meanwhile, Moscow claims this incident validates Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertion that the goal of the war in Ukraine is 'de-Nazification' of the country, an allegation that Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss as baseless.