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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 or have included a statue of Draža Mihailović in Ontario, two monuments in Ontario and Alberta connected with the Waffen-SS, a statue of Roman Shukhevych, streets and parks named after Alexis Carrel and Philipp Lenard, a mountain named after Philippe Pétain, and two streets named after a commander of Nazi German forces and his ship. There are two monuments to members of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), which have caused controversy.

French

Mount Pétain

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 the mountain's name in 2019. It was named for Pétain in 1919, at which point he was considered a hero for leading forces to victory in the 1916 Battle of Verdun in World War I. Later, during World War II, Pétain led the collaborationist Government of Vichy France.[1]

Streets and Parks named after Alexis Carrel

In 2015 CTV News reported that in Quebec a street in Gatineau was named after Alexis Carrel, as well a street and park named after him in 1972 and 1988 respectively in Montreal community Rivière des Prairies, and a park and streets named after him in Boisbriand and Châteauguay.[2] Carrel won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1912, and was a supporter of eugenics and the Nazis, advocating for the elimination of "undesirables", and was involved in the Vichy government of France.[3][4][5] In 2015 the street in Gatineau was renamed after Marie Curie.[5] In 2017 it was announced that the street and the park in Rivière des Prairies, Montreal would be renamed. This followed a campaign from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs of Quebec, who said that they hoped Boisbriand and Châteauguay would follow the lead of Montreal and Gatineau.[6]

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.[7]

Ukrainian

The International Military Tribunal's verdict at the Nuremberg Trials declared the entire Waffen-SS a "criminal organization" guilty of war crimes.[8] 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.[9][10] Leaders of the Canadian Ukrainian community said the Ukrainian monuments are not related to Nazism.[11]

Roman Shukhevych statue, Edmonton

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

The bronze bust[12] of Ukrainian Nationalist leader and 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.[13][14][15][16] The statue was vandalised in 2019 when someone added the words "Nazi scum".[17] It was vandalised again in 2021 when someone added the words "Actual Nazi" in red paint.[14]

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[18] 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.[19] 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."[20] 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.[21][22] 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.[23] 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."[24] University of Alberta historian Jars Balan told CBC News that the history of the monument and the Shukhevych statue were "complicated", saying that some people had fought in German uniforms in order to achieve Ukrainian independence.[19]

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.[25] There is also a monument to veterans of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), a military branch of the Nazi Party Waffen-SS.[25] The SS division's insignia was added to the memorial soon after inauguration.[25] The memorial was vandalised in mid-June 2020 when someone added the words "Nazi war monument".[26][27]

The memorial was also the subject of complaints from the Russian Embassy to Canada in 2017.[28] Ihor Michalchyshyn, the CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress accused Russia of obfuscation.[29]

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.[30][31]

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton stated that he would remove the monument but he can’t, because municipalities have no right to regulate private cemeteries.[32]

German

Langsdorff Drive & Graf Spee Crescent

The town of Ajax, Ontario is named for HMS Ajax, which fought in the Battle of the River Plate in the Second World War.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35]

This name was changed in 2021 in response to public opposition.[36] 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."[37] Many of Ajax's streets are named after people involved in the Battle of the River Plate.[38]

Philipp Lenard Street

A street in Gatineau, Quebec, was named after Nobel Prize winner Philipp Lenard, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1905. He was also a strong supporter of the Nazis and acted as an advisor to Hitler. In 2015 the street was renamed after Albert Einstein following a campaign from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs of Quebec.[2][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ CBC Radio. "Canadian mountain no longer named for Nazi collaborator thanks to father and son". CBC. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. ^ a b "Quebec residents unfazed by streets named after Nazi sympathizers". CTVNews. 2015-05-29. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  3. ^ "Gatineau renames streets honouring Nazi sympathizers". The Canadian Jewish News. 2015-06-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  4. ^ "Montreal Mayor Pledges to Rename Sites That Honor Nazi Sympathizer". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  5. ^ a b c "Gatineau renames two city streets after complaints over Nazi links". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Montreal to rename avenue, park named for alleged Nazi sympathizer Alexis Carrel". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  7. ^ Golinkin, Lev. "Nazi collaborator monuments around the world". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  8. ^ "Waffen-SS". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  9. ^ Carter, Adam (17 July 2020). "Police apologize for saying anti-Nazi vandalism was 'hate motivated'". Canada Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  10. ^ Pugliese, David (17 July 2020). "Graffiti on monument commemorating Nazi SS division being investigated as a hate crime by police". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  11. ^ Holt, Faygie (2021-08-16). "Canadian Jewish group renews campaign to remove World War II-era monuments". JNS.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  12. ^ "Canadian monument to controversial Ukrainian national hero ignites debate". RCI | English. 2018-08-13. Archived from the original on 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  13. ^ 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. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-12-26. 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.
  14. ^ a b "Alberta journalist charged with mischief in vandalism of controversial statue". CBC. 25 Oct 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Group resumes decades-old fight to remove statue of Ukrainian Nazi collaborator outside Edmonton cultural centre". edmontonjournal. Archived from the original on 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  16. ^ "Ukrainian monuments vandalized, group calls for their removal over historical record". Edmonton. 2021-08-13. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  17. ^ Noakes, Taylor (7 Nov 2022). "Canada Has a Nazi Monument Problem". jacobin.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  18. ^ Rudling, Per A. (2011). "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. S2CID 128418099. Archived from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  19. ^ a b Lung, Raylene. "Jewish groups call for removal of vandalized Ukrainian WWII memorial". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  20. ^ "Ukrainian monuments vandalized, group calls for their removal over historical record". Edmonton. 2021-08-13. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  21. ^ Kinney, Duncan (August 10, 2021). "Nazi collaborator monuments in Edmonton defaced with red paint and words "Actual Nazi" and "Nazi Monument"". The Progress Report. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  22. ^ Hajke Wolf-Dietrich The Ukrainian Division "Galicia" Toronto, 1970 p. 17
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Farber, Bernie (2020-07-22). "Bernie Farber: Canada's monument to Nazi soldiers". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  25. ^ a b c 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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  26. ^ Pugliese, David (17 July 2020). "Graffiti on monument commemorating Nazi SS division being investigated as a hate crime by police". ottawacitizen. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  27. ^ "Canada police investigate vandalism of monument to Nazi troops as hate crime". the Guardian. 2020-07-17. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  28. ^ "Russian Embassy charges monuments to alleged 'Nazi collaborators' in Oakville". InsideHalton.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  29. ^ Smith, Marie-Danielle (2017-12-23). "Ukrainian-Canadian community urged to confront WWII past amid controversy over monuments". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  30. ^ "B'nai Brith Taking Action Against Nazi Glorification". Alberta Jewish News. 2020-07-28. Archived from the original on 2022-11-22.
  31. ^ "Canadian Jewish and Polish Groups Join Forces to Demand Removal of SS Monument at Ontario Cemetery". Algemeiner.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  32. ^ "'Disgusted': Oakville cemetery facing calls to remove what's being called a Nazi monument". InsideHalton.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  33. ^ Kitts, Daniel (10 November 2015). "The Second World War created Ajax. Here's how". TVO. Toronto ON. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Ontario community urged to change the name of a street named after Nazi battleship captain - Todayville". www.todayville.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  35. ^ "Langsdorff dedication appreciated by daughter". Oshawa This Week. Oshawa ON. 9 October 2007. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  36. ^ "New name for Ajax street that had been named after captain of Nazi war ship". St. Catharines Standard. 2021-03-12. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  37. ^ Gilligan, Keith (6 August 2020). "'Crossed the line a little bit': Ajax scuttles naming street after Nazi warship". Ajax News-Advertiser. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  38. ^ "Langsdorff dedication appreciated by daughter". DurhamRegion.com. 9 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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