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Memorials in Canada to Nazis and Nazi collaborators

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Canada has several monuments and memorials that to varying degrees commemorate people and groups accused of collaboration with Nazi forces.

Monuments and memorials include a statue of Draža Mihailović in Ontario, and three monuments in Ontario and Alberta connected with the Waffen-SS. There also three monuments to members of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician). These monuments are controversial, with leaders of the Canadian Ukrainian community rejecting the links to the Nazi regime.

A mountain on the border of British Columbia and Alberta was named for Nazi Collaborator Philippe Pétain until British Columbia removed its name in 2022 following Alberta's decision to remove mountain's name in 2019.[1] There is still to a road named after Pétain in Nova Scotia.[2]

Serbian

Draža Mihailović Monument in Hamilton, Ontario.

Draža Mihailović statue, Hamilton

There is a statue in Hamilton, Ontario of Draža Mihailović, a Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, a royalist and Serbian nationalist movement and guerrilla force, who collaborated with the Nazis following the German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941.[3]

Ukrainian

The International Military Tribunal's verdict at the Nuremberg Trials declared the entire Waffen-SS a "criminal organization" guilty of war crimes.[4] Monuments to members of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS have been vandalized by activists at differing times as "Nazi monuments", as have monuments to members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Canadian police apologized in 2020 for originally stating that the anti-Nazi vandalism of those monuments is motivated by hate.[5][6] Leaders of the Canadian Ukrainian community said the Ukrainian monuments are not related to Nazism.[7]

Roman Shukhevych statue, Edmonton

The Shukhevych statue vandalised (left) and normally (right)
Main article: Roman Shukhevych bust

The bronze bust[8] of Nazi collaborator, responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Poles and massacres of Jews, Roman Shukhevych was built in 1972 by Ukrainian World War II veterans on private land near the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton, Alberta.[9][10][11][12] The statue was vandalised in 2019 when someone added the words "Nazi scum".[13] It was vandalised again in 2021 when someone added the words "Actual Nazi" in red paint.[10]

Memorial at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Edmonton

Vandalism of the memorial at St. Michael's Cemetery

A memorial reading: For those who fought for Ukraine’s Freedom was constructed in 1976 by the former Ukrainian Waffen-SS[14] in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Edmonton was vandalized by painting "Nazi monument to 14th Waffen SS". According to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, such a painting reflects the actual historical record of people commemorated by the monument.[citation needed] Jewish organizations requested the removal of the damaged memorial.[15] However, the Ukrainian Catholic Church called the vandalism "part of the decades-long Russian disinformation campaign against Ukraine and Ukrainians to create a false Nazi image of Ukrainian freedom fighters."[16] The St. Michael’s monument is dedicated to "Fighters for the Freedom of Ukraine". One of its plaques is an abbreviation for the First Division Division of the Ukrainian National Army.[17][18] On April 25, 1945, the Waffen-SS Galizien was officially reorganized as the First Division of the Ukrainian National Army, and swore a new oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people.[19] Bernie Farber of the Canadian Jewish Congress wrote that "removing this monument will require the Ukrainian-Canadian community to take a hard look at its own history."[20]

Memorial at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, Oakville

Monument to the Glory of the UPA (left) and cenotaph (right) at the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery

The granite Ukrainian Insurgent Army memorial entitled Pamiatnyk Slavy UPA (English: Monument to the Glory of the UPA) was inaugurated on May 26, 1988, in the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario.[21] The memorial commemorates a World War II battle fought by the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), a military branch of the Nazi Party Waffen-SS, against the Soviet Red Army.[22][23] The SS division's insignia was added to the memorial soon after inauguration.[21] The memorial was vandalised in mid-June 2022 when someone added the words "Nazi war monument".[24][25]

The memorial was also the subject of complaints from the Russian Embassy to Canada in 2017, although the criticism was dismissed by Canadian media as part of a "disinformation campaign" in the context of the Russian annexation of Crimea three years earlier.[22] Ihor Michalchyshyn, the CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress accused Russia of obfuscation.[26]

Jewish B’nai Brith organization and the Canadian Polish Congress joined forces and called for the monument's removal by releasing a joint statement saying that the presence of monuments that whitewash the Holocaust and Nazi ideology is unacceptable in Canada.[27][28]

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton stated that he would remove the monument but he can’t, because municipalities have no right to regulate private cemeteries.[29]

German

Langsdorff Drive & Graf Spee Crescent

The town of Ajax, Ontario is named for the HMS Ajax, which fought in the Battle of the River Plate in the Second World War.[30] In the municipality, one of the streets was named Langsdorff Drive in honour of Hans Langsdorff, a battleship captain who commanded Nazi Germany forces in the battle.[31] The naming was supported by the River Plate Veterans Association. The street received a naming ceremony, with Langsdorff's daughter and son-in-law in attendance.[32]

This name was changed in 2021 in response to public opposition.[33] In 2020 Ajax [clarification needed] tried to honour Langsdorff and his ship the Admiral Graf Spee by naming a street Graf Spee Crescent. This was also changed after the public became aware and brought it the attention of Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier. Collier put forward a motion to change this name, stating, "We did Langsdorff, which I did support ... This, I think, has crossed the line a little bit."[34] Many of Ajax's streets are named after people involved in the Battle of the River Plate.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ CBC Radio. "Canadian mountain no longer named for Nazi collaborator thanks to father and son". CBC. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. ^ "Memorials in Canada to Nazis and Nazi collaborators" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  3. ^ Golinkin, Lev. "Nazi collaborator monuments around the world". The Forward. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  4. ^ "Waffen-SS". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  5. ^ Carter, Adam (17 July 2020). "Police apologize for saying anti-Nazi vandalism was 'hate motivated'". Canada Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  6. ^ Pugliese, David (17 July 2020). "Graffiti on monument commemorating Nazi SS division being investigated as a hate crime by police". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  7. ^ Holt, Faygie (2021-08-16). "Canadian Jewish group renews campaign to remove World War II-era monuments". JNS.org. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  8. ^ "Canadian monument to controversial Ukrainian national hero ignites debate". RCI | English. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  9. ^ Rossoliński-Liebe, Grzegorz. "Celebrating Fascism and War Criminality in Edmonton. The Political Myth and Cult of Stepan Bandera in Multicultural Canada, in: in Kakanien Revisited 12 (2010): 1-16". Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas, Osteuropa and H-Soz-U-Kult. The complex is named in honour of Roman Shukhevych, a leading banderite and leader of the UPA in the years 1943–1950. Shukhevych was more directly responsible for OUN-UPA's crimes against humanity such as the ethnic cleansing of Poles in Volhynia and Galicia and massacres of Jews. In 1972, a bust of Roman Shukhevych was placed in front of the entrance to the building, resulting in all celebrants passing by it on their way to the place of celebration.
  10. ^ a b "Alberta journalist charged with mischief in vandalism of controversial statue". CBC. 25 Oct 2022.
  11. ^ "Group resumes decades-old fight to remove statue of Ukrainian Nazi collaborator outside Edmonton cultural centre". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  12. ^ "Ukrainian monuments vandalized, group calls for their removal over historical record". Edmonton. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  13. ^ Noakes, Taylor (7 Nov 2022). "Canada Has a Nazi Monument Problem". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  14. ^ Rudling, Per A. "Multiculturalism, memory, and ritualization: Ukrainian nationalist monuments in Edmonton, Alberta". Nationalities Papers. 39 (5): 733–768. doi:10.1080/00905992.2011.599375. ISSN 0090-5992.
  15. ^ Lung, Raylene. "Jewish groups call for removal of vandalized Ukrainian WWII memorial". CBC News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Ukrainian monuments vandalized, group calls for their removal over historical record". Edmonton. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  17. ^ Kinney, Duncan (August 10, 2021). "Nazi collaborator monuments in Edmonton defaced with red paint and words "Actual Nazi" and "Nazi Monument"". The Progress Report. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  18. ^ Hajke Wolf-Dietrich The Ukrainian Division "Galicia" Toronto, 1970 p. 17
  19. ^ Rudling, Per Anders (July–September 2012). "'They Defended Ukraine': The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Galizische Nr. 1) Revisited". Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 25 (3): 339–359. doi:10.1080/13518046.2012.705633. S2CID 144432759.
  20. ^ Farber, Bernie (2020-07-22). "Bernie Farber: Canada's monument to Nazi soldiers". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  21. ^ a b Rudling, Per Anders (3 July 2020). "Long-Distance Nationalism: Ukrainian Monuments and Historical Memory in Multicultural Canada". In Marschall, Sabine (ed.). Public Memory in the Context of Transnational Migration and Displacement (PDF). pp. 105–108. ISBN 978-3-030-41329-3.
  22. ^ a b Samphir, Harrison (26 July 2020). "Why is a monument commemorating a Nazi SS division still standing outside Toronto?". Canadian Dimension.
  23. ^ Golinkin, Lev (2020-07-21). "Canada's Nazi Monuments". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  24. ^ Pugliese, David (17 July 2020). "Graffiti on monument commemorating Nazi SS division being investigated as a hate crime by police". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  25. ^ "Canada police investigate vandalism of monument to Nazi troops as hate crime". the Guardian. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  26. ^ Smith, Marie-Danielle (2017-12-23). "Ukrainian-Canadian community urged to confront WWII past amid controversy over monuments". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  27. ^ "B'nai Brith Taking Action Against Nazi Glorification". Alberta Jewish News. 2020-07-28.
  28. ^ "Canadian Jewish and Polish Groups Join Forces to Demand Removal of SS Monument at Ontario Cemetery". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  29. ^ "'Disgusted': Oakville cemetery facing calls to remove what's being called a Nazi monument". InsideHalton.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  30. ^ Kitts, Daniel (10 November 2015). "The Second World War created Ajax. Here's how". TVO. Toronto ON. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Ontario community urged to change the name of a street named after Nazi battleship captain - Todayville". www.todayville.com. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  32. ^ "Langsdorff dedication appreciated by daughter". Oshawa This Week. Oshawa ON. 9 October 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  33. ^ "New name for Ajax street that had been named after captain of Nazi war ship". St. Catharines Standard. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  34. ^ Gilligan, Keith (6 August 2020). "'Crossed the line a little bit': Ajax scuttles naming street after Nazi warship". Ajax News-Advertiser. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  35. ^ "Langsdorff dedication appreciated by daughter". DurhamRegion.com. 9 October 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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