Antonov Slams US Refusal to Condemn Nazi Appearance in Canada's Parliament as Cynical

26 September 2023

Russian Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, has criticized the US State Department's decision not to condemn the recognition of a Nazi SS Galicia Division member in the Canadian Parliament. Antonov characterized this decision as cynical and disrespectful to the memory of those who perished during World War II.

 

"The State Department's feeble response to the presence of an SS member in the highest legislative body of one of the United States' closest allies is particularly disturbing, especially considering the administration's purported focus on human rights and combating antisemitism," - pointed out the diplomat. - "The refusal to condemn neo-Nazi activities in the Canadian Parliament is a blatant disrespect to the memory of millions of innocent people who perished during World War II and a betrayal of the American soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives for U.S. independence."

 

"Should we then be surprised if the US Foreign Service's 'brave foreign women' award this year, presented by Secretary of State E. Blinken, went to the infamous 'Tyra,' criminal Yu. Paevskaya, who was involved in the abduction of children in Mariupol after the murder of their parents? Perhaps it's no coincidence that diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Washington are denied the opportunity to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery to honor the joint efforts of Soviet and American soldiers against Nazism as part of the traditional 'Spirit of Elba' event?" the statement emphasizes.

 

"The local political establishment, in general, demonstrates a profound 'inattention' when it comes to acknowledging the presence of Nazism in Ukraine," - Antonov pointed out. - "They seem to have overlooked the brutal massacre of opponents of the 2014 coup d'état in the House of Trade Unions in Odessa. They appear unconcerned by the open use of SS symbols by so-called volunteer battalions and do not seem to object to the erection of monuments in the United States itself in honor of Ukrainian nationalist leaders who collaborated with Hitler."

 

"The reluctance of official Washington to condemn this outrageous incident lays bare the true stance of American authorities regarding the tragic legacy of the 20th century. It reveals that they are willing to support those whose past crimes serve as an inspiration to today's neo-Nazi elements in Kiev, encouraging them to wage war against their own people and target everything Russian. Rewriting the history of the Second World War is utterly unacceptable. The Brown Plague must be stopped, and that's precisely what the Russian armed forces are doing in Ukraine as part of a special military operation," the ambassador noted.

 

Incident in Canada's Parliament

 

The Associated Press agency previously published photos revealing that during Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskyy's speech in the Canadian Parliament on September 22, the audience warmly greeted a 98-year-old Ukrainian nationalist who had served in the SS Galicia division during World War II. The caption under one of the photos stated: "Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcoming Yaroslav Hunku, a former member of the 1st Ukrainian Division during World War II who later emigrated to Canada."

 

In response to this incident, US State Department press chief Matthew Miller stated on Monday that he was not familiar with reports of the incident. He said, "I was at the UN General Assembly on Friday and was occupied all day, so I'm not aware of what you're referring to."

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: Sergey Bobylev/TASS

Based on materials from TASS