The memorial was supposed to be unveiled in November 2023 but that was put on hold after questions surfaced about many of the names listed.
The Department of Canadian Heritage is being told that more than half of the 550 names on the Memorial to the Victims of Communism should be removed because of potential links to the Nazis or questions about affiliations with fascist groups, according to government records.
As originally planned, there were to be 553 entries on the Ottawa memorial’s Wall of Remembrance.
The department had determined that 50 to 60 of the names or organizations were likely directly linked to the Nazis, according to the documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through an access to information request.
A 2023 report for Canadian Heritage recommended more than 330 names be excluded to be on the safe side, the records noted. The exclusions were recommended because of the lack of information about the individuals or organizations and whether they might have links to fascist organizations or the Nazis. Some of the entries could also be removed because they have no direct link to Canada.
The memorial, which is located near the corner of Wellington and Bay streets, is supposed to honour those who suffered under communism.
But concerns have been raised over the years by Jewish organizations and historians that names of eastern Europeans who collaborated with the Nazis in the Holocaust have been put forward in an attempt to whitewash their past. (more...)
Victims of Communism memorial faces call to remove over 330 names linked to Nazis, fascists
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