‘SCANDALOUS’

Poland Moves to Extradite Nazi Veteran Cheered in Canadian Parliament

The Polish education minister said he’d “taken steps” towards the possible extradition of Yaroslav Hunka, who was introduced to parliamentarians as a war hero.

Poland’s education minister said Tuesday he’d “taken steps” to kickstart the extradition of Yaroslav Hunka, the 98-year-old Nazi SS veteran given a standing ovation in Canada’s Parliament on Friday. Hunka was introduced by House Speaker Anthony Rota as “a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero,” earning applause from lawmakers and a gesture of support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, present to give an address to Parliament. Over the weekend, however, it emerged that Hunka had served in the First Ukrainian Division, a volunteer Nazi unit that declared allegiance to Adolf Hitler during World War II. In a Tuesday tweet, Polish Minister for Education Przemyslaw Czanek said, “In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian Parliament, which involved honoring, 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.” Hours earlier, the debacle had prompted Rota to announce his resignation.