The prime minister says it was a mistake that “deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada”.

  • Plantee@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/25/canadas-house-speaker-apologises-after-praising-ukrainian-veteran-who-fought-for-nazis

    Group of Nazi-Germany fighters moved to Canada after WWII, amongst them this Ukrainian who fought on the side of the Germans.

    I think this section is quite interesting and shows the reason for many Ukrainians to fight on the German side:

    Dominique Arel, the chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, told Canada’s public broadcaster CBC that the division Hunka was part of had attracted thousands of Ukrainian volunteers, many joining with hopes they could achieve Ukrainian independence.

    Only Germans from Germany were able to fight in the German army, Arel said, so non-German volunteers who believed in Nazi aims or sought to use Nazi power for their own ends were organised into SS divisions.

    “We have the issue of symbolism here, the optics of serving in a military unit whose logo is that of arguably the greatest criminal organisation in the 20th century … so obviously the optics are not good.”

    Not saying anything about this particular person, but the world is not black or white.