Yaroslav Hunka had his day in the sun on Friday in the Canadian Parliament and was praised for his efforts in fighting the Russians during World War II. Now he could be looking at his day in court. Amidst the apologies and the claims that no one had any idea who Hunka was or knew about his role in the war, an official in Poland is calling for him to be extradited to stand trial.
Newsweek notes that Polish Education Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek sent a letter to the Institute of National Remembrance, which is an organization that investigates and prosecutes Nazis accused of atrocities and war crimes. Czarnek posted a copy of his letter on X:
Wobec skandalicznych wydarzeń w kanadyjskim parlamencie polegających na uhonorowaniu w obecności także prezydenta Zełenskiego członka zbrodniczej, hitlerowskiej formacji SS Galizien, podjąłem kroki w kierunku ewentualnej ekstradycji tego człowieka do Polski.… https://t.co/92qK1voktN pic.twitter.com/5J4lljH5JX
— Przemysław Czarnek (@CzarnekP) September 26, 2023
The news outlet Notes from Poland (NFP) offered a partial translation of the post:
In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelensky, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland. (sic)
Czarnek asked the head of the Institute to establish whether or not Hunka is “wanted for crimes against the Polish nation or Poles of Jewish origin.” Czarnek asserts that those crimes are worthy of extradition. NFP reports that Hunka was part of the Ukrainian SS division that massacred some 850 ethnic poles in the town of Huta Pieniacka. At the time, the town was part of Poland but is now within the borders of Ukraine. Around 600 members of the division were permitted to settle in Canada when the war ended, and Hunka currently enjoys dual citizenship in Canada and Ukraine.
Related: Canadian House of Commons Embarrassingly Salutes a Nazi
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was on hand for Friday’s standing ovation for Hunka and even raised his fist. Newsweek added that Zelenskyy is Jewish and that he lost relatives in the Holocaust.
Reactions included a demand for Speaker Anthony Rota to step down, which he has. Additionally, some members of Parliament have claimed they had no idea who Hunka was:
Liberal MP Karina Gould says a former Nazi SS soldier being honoured 'hurt all of us in Parliament' and was "deeply embarrassing" for Ukrainian President Zelensky "because he trusted Canadians."
She says MPs put trust in Speaker Rota's invited guests.https://t.co/h4CHI8HjLB pic.twitter.com/63ErbJHcLe
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 25, 2023
There are two possibilities here. One is that everyone involved in this tragedy knew full well who Hunka was and of his involvement in the SS, and they just didn’t care. After all, the term “Nazi” is now applied by the Left to anyone with whom it disagrees. This robs the word of its actual horrific meaning in terms of a historical perspective. The second possibility is that no one took the time to research this “honored guest” before bringing him before the Canadian Parliament to be feted for his war efforts. Either possibility is equally disturbing.
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