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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.

Existing

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.[1]

Ukrainian

Monuments in Canada 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. Leaders of the Canadian Ukrainian community said the Ukrainian monuments are not related to Nazism.[2]

Roman Shukhevych statue, Edmonton

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

The bronze bust[3] of Ukrainian nationalist leader Roman Shukhevych, who collaborated with the Nazis from February 1941 to December 1942 as commanding officer of the Nachtigall Battalion in early 1941,[4] and as a Hauptmann of the German Schutzmannschaft 201 auxiliary police battalion in late 1941 and 1942,[5] units which were complicit in the Galicia-Volhynia massacres of ethnic Poles and in the Lviv pogroms (1941) against Jews. The bust was built in 1972 by Ukrainian World War II veterans on private land near the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton, Alberta.[6][7][8][9] The statue was vandalised in 2019 when someone added the words "Nazi scum".[10] It was vandalised again in 2021 when someone added the words "Actual Nazi" in red paint.[7]

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 St. Michael’s Cemetery in Edmonton in 1976 by former members of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS division: 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician).[11]

The International Military Tribunal's verdict at the Nuremberg Trials declared the entire Waffen-SS a "criminal organization" guilty of war crimes[12] but the Canadian Deschênes Commission of October 1986 concluded this Ukrainian division should not be indicted as a group.[13]

In 2021 the memorial was vandalized by painting "Nazi monument to 14th Waffen SS".[14] A spokesperson for the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said “These monuments are nothing less than a glorification and celebration of those who actively participated in Holocaust crimes as well the mass murder of Polish civilians."[15] Jewish organizations requested the removal of the damaged memorial.[14] 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."[15] 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.[16][17] 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.[18] 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."[19] 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.[14]

Memorial at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, Oakville

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

A granite memorial entitled Pamiatnyk Slavy UPA (English: Monument to the Glory of the UPA) celebrating the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a Ukrainian nationalist force that allied with the Nazis in 1942-43 before fighting against them in 1943-44, was inaugurated on May 26, 1988, in the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario.[20] A cenotaph to veterans of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) was added shortly afterwards, with the SS division's insignia.[20]

The SS cenotaph was vandalised in mid-June 2020 when someone added the words "Nazi war monument".[21][22] Canadian police apologized for originally stating that the vandalism was motivated by hate.[23][24]

Both monuments were the subject of complaints from the Russian Embassy to Canada in 2017.[25] Ihor Michalchyshyn, the CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress accused Russia of obfuscation.[26]

Jewish B’nai Brith organization and the Canadian Polish Congress called for the SS monument's removal in 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 SS monument but he can’t, because municipalities have no right to regulate private cemeteries.[29]


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.[30] 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.[31][32][33] In 2015 the street in Gatineau was renamed after Marie Curie.[33] 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.[34]

Removed

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.[35]

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.[36] 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.[37] 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.[38]

This name was changed in 2021 in response to public opposition.[39] 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."[40] Many of Ajax's streets are named after people involved in the Battle of the River Plate.[41]

Philipp Lenard Street

A street in Gatineau, Quebec, used to be named after 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.[42] In 2015 the street was renamed after Albert Einstein following a campaign from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs of Quebec.[30][33]

See also

References

  1. ^ Golinkin, Lev (27 January 2021). "Nazi collaborator monuments around the world". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ Piotrowski, Tadeusz (2007-01-09). Poland's Holocaust: Ethnic Strife, Collaboration with Occupying Forces and Genocide in the Second Republic, 1918-1947. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2913-4. ...on the German side and Roman Shukhevych ('Tur', 'Taras Chuprynka') as head of the Ukrainian staff, wore the uniform of the Wehrmacht.
  5. ^ Rudling, Anders (2016). "The Cult of Roman Shukhevych in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications" (PDF). Fascism: Journal of Comparative Fascist Studies. 5 (1): 26–65. doi:10.1163/22116257-00501003.
    Source also available at online on the Brill Publishers website in the article The Cult of Roman Shukhevych in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications; online publication date: 26 May 2016
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Waffen-SS". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  13. ^ Pugliese, David (October 30, 2020). "Whitewashing the SS: The Attempt to Re-Write the History of Hitler's Collaborators". Esprit de Corps Canadian Military Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  14. ^ a b c Lung, Raylene (October 12, 2021). "Jewish groups call for removal of vandalized Ukrainian WWII memorial". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  15. ^ a b "Ukrainian monuments vandalized, group calls for their removal over historical record". CTV News. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Haike, Wolf-Dietrich (1988). The Ukrainian Division "Galicia", 1943-1945: A Memoir. Toronto: Shevchenko Scientific Society. p. 17. ISBN 9780969023944. OCLC 21043745.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Farber, Bernie (2020-07-22). "Bernie Farber: Canada's monument to Nazi soldiers". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  20. ^ 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). Springer. pp. 105–108. ISBN 978-3-030-41329-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "Russian Embassy charges monuments to alleged 'Nazi collaborators' in Oakville". InsideHalton.com. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  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. Archived from the original on 2022-11-22.
  28. ^ "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.
  29. ^ "'Disgusted': Oakville cemetery facing calls to remove what's being called a Nazi monument". InsideHalton.com. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ "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.
  32. ^ "Montreal Mayor Pledges to Rename Sites That Honor Nazi Sympathizer". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ "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.
  38. ^ "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.
  39. ^ "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.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ "Langsdorff dedication appreciated by daughter". DurhamRegion.com. 9 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  42. ^ Nobel prize 1905
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