TORONTO – B’nai Brith Canada and the Canadian Polish Congress are jointly calling for the removal of a memorial at Oakville’s St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery that glorifies Nazi German collaborators.
As has been widely reported, a cenotaph honouring Ukrainian volunteers of the 14th Waffen SS “Galicia” Division stands prominently on the grounds of the cemetery. Created in 1943, this division is responsible for the murders of thousands of Jews, ethnic Poles and other ethnic minorities throughout Eastern Europe. Despite this well-established historical fact, the cenotaph has been portrayed as merely a commemoration to those who fought for Ukrainian independence, in what its defenders call “the First Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army.”
The monument has been roundly condemned, including by Oakville’s mayor, Rob Burton, Chief of Police Stephen Tanner and Rabbi Stephen Wise of the local Shaarei Beth-El Congregation.
Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada, and John Tomczak, President of the Canadian Polish Congress, issued the following joint statement: (more...)
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