Poland Seeks Extradition Of Nazi War Veteran Praised In Canadian Parliament

Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old who served in a Nazi unit during World War II, may be extradited to Poland.

Poland's education minister, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that he has "taken steps" to seek the extradition of Hunka.

"In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelenskyy, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland," Przemysław Czarnek stated in a post on social media platform X.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government has made it clear that they have not received any extradition requests yet. It also needs to be noted that Canada and Poland do not have any extradition agreements. However, the two governments can figure out a way to send Hunka to Poland.

The big picture:

The fact that Hunka served Nazis and had been living in Canada came to light after Canada's House of Commons speaker honoured him in parliament.

Speaker Anthony Rota had introduced 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka as a "war hero" in the House of Commons who fought for the First Ukrainian Division. He thanked Hunka for "all his service".

The lawmakers present in parliament cheered for Hunka as he saluted from the gallery. Speaker Rota had to issue an apology after it later came to light that Hunka had served as a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.

Rota submitted his resignation on Tuesday after the Canadian government came under fire from all quarters for honouring Hunka.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions", he said. "My resignation is effective at the end of the sitting day tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27, to allow preparations for the election of a new speaker. Until that time, the deputy speakers will chair the House proceedings".

For those unaware, the SS 14th Waffen Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, was under the command of the Nazis.

The images and video of the incident soon went viral on social media, and people began pointing out who Hunka really is.

In a statement, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre said that the voluntary unit was responsible for the murder of Jews and others during World War II.

"At a time of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, it is incredibly disturbing to see Canada's Parliament rise to applaud an individual who was a member of a unit in the Waffen-SS, a Nazi military branch responsible for the murder of Jews and others", it said while demanding an apology from the members of the Canadian Parliament.

Hunka, a Ukrainian-Canadian, was given a standing ovation in the Canadian House of Commons in the presence of Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Speaker Rota later asserted that the other parliament members and the Ukraine delegation were not aware of his plans.

The Canadian government has come under heavy criticism, with social media users accusing it of disrespecting the Canadians who lost their lives in the war.

"Why does this surprise you. Trudeau is part of the one world order. One could say many Germans got away with their crimes and stayed influential. Selling their technology to the highest bidder," wrote one Twitter user.

"I wonder if Canada's parliament realizes they just gave a standing ovation to a Waffen-SS volunteer named Yaroslav Hunka?! FYI, Waffen-SS was a combat branch of Nazis. That dropped my jaws. What's wrong with everyone at that parliament building in Canada?" wrote another Twitter user.

The Ukrainian President arrived in Canada on Friday for the first time since the Russian invasion. His visit was intended to gather international aid and the West's support against Russia.

He had addressed the Canadian Parliament virtually after the war began in February last year. Canada has given more than $8.9 billion to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.