A memorial in Ottawa to victims of communism, while not directly linked to Nazis and their collaborators, came under fire prior to its unveiling when the Department of Canadian Heritage was told that more than half of the 550 names on the memorial should be removed because of potential links to the Nazis or questions about affiliations with fascist groups.[1] The memorial was unveiled in December 2024.
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.[3]
Roman Shukhevych statue, Edmonton
The Shukhevych statue vandalised (left) and normally (right)
The bronze bust[4] 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,[5] and as a Hauptmann of the German Schutzmannschaft 201 auxiliary police battalion in late 1941 and 1942,[6] 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.[7][8][9][10] The statue was vandalised in 2019 when someone added the words "Nazi scum".[11] It was vandalised again in 2021 when someone added the words "Actual Nazi" in red paint.[8]
Memorial at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Edmonton
Vandalism of the memorial at St. Michael's Cemetery
The International Military Tribunal's verdict at the Nuremberg Trials declared the entire Waffen-SS a "criminal organization" guilty of war crimes[13] but the Canadian Deschênes Commission of October 1986 concluded this Ukrainian division should not be indicted as a group.[14]
In 2021 the memorial was vandalized by painting "Nazi monument to 14th Waffen SS".[15] 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."[16] 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]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.[15]
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 SS cenotaph was vandalised in mid-June 2020 when someone added the words "Nazi war monument".[22][23] Canadian police apologized for originally stating that the vandalism was motivated by hate.[24][25]
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.[28][29] 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.[30]
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.[31] 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.[32][33][34] In 2015 the street in Gatineau was renamed after Marie Curie.[34] 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.[35]
The town of Ajax, Ontario is named for HMS Ajax, which fought in the Battle of the River Plate in the Second World War.[37] In the municipality, one of the streets was named Langsdorff Drive in honour of Hans Langsdorff, a battleship captain who commanded German forces in the battle.[38] 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.[39]
This name was changed in 2021 in response to public opposition.[40] 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."[41] Many of Ajax's streets are named after people involved in the Battle of the River Plate.[42]
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.[43] In 2015 the street was renamed after Albert Einstein following a campaign from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs of Quebec.[31][34]
^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.
^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. S2CID144432759.
