98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who fought as a commando in the 14th “Ukrainian Division” of the Nazi Party’s military wing, the Waffen-SS, from 1943-45, and was likely involved in a massacre of 500-1,000 Poles by that unit, was given a standing ovation on Sept. 22 by the entire Canadian Parliament led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife. Speaker of Parliament Anthony Rota called Hunka a “Canadian hero,” a “Ukrainian hero,” and thanked him “for his service.” Hunka volunteered in 1943 for the Waffen-SS division, formally designated by the Nazis the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS and informally the SS Galicia or Galicia SS. He trained in Germany and was deployed in Poland, where the Galicia SS was charged (at Nuremberg) with the Huta Pieniacka Massacre in which its members burned 500-1,000 Poles to death. Galicia is a region running from southwestern Ukraine into Poland.
Hunka’s history, which he has recorded himself in posts on blogs, is described by Max Blumenthal, Ivan Katchanovski and others in a report of the Ottawa Nazi ovations on ZeroHedge.com Sept. 24. Photos from CBC TV show Zelensky raising a clenched fist to Hunka while Trudeau smiles and applauds. CBC TV then gives the following absurd account: “Zelensky’s speech received at least a dozen standing ovations. There was also one for this man [close-up of Hunka in the gallery]: A 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians during the Second World War.”
