Justin Trudeau has been shredded online after appearing to blame "Russian disinformation" for the incident that saw a Ukrainian man who served in a Nazi unit during World War II receive a standing ovation in Canada’s parliament.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went on X (formerly Twitter) to succinctly remark that “there is a slight possibility that not everything is Russian disinformation.”
Screenshot of X post by Elon Musk.
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American journalist and lawyer Glenn Greenwald also slammed the Canadian Prime Minister for “babbling about ‘Russian disinformation’” after getting “caught applauding an SS soldier who fought with the Nazis.”
He added that the incident was further proof of how "Western elites use RUSSIA to blame for all their failings."
Screenshot of X post by American journalist Glenn Greenwald featuring link to footage of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blaming "Russian disinformation" for a Ukrainian Nazi veteran being honored in the Canadian parliament.
© Photo : ggreenwald/X
Others on the social media platform also noted that blaming "Russian propaganda" appeared to be the "favourite hobby" of the West in the case of every "fail".
Screengrab of X post.
© Photo : The_Coll3ctor/X
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© Photo : soumiajlo/X
Earlier on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in light of the scandal, said that it was "extremely upsetting that this happened. The Speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologized." However, he added:
"I think it's going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian disinformation and continue our steadfast unequivocal support for Ukraine."
On Sunday, Anthony Rota extended his apologies to the Jewish communities in Canada and abroad for his decision to invite Hunka, adding that he took full responsibility for the decision. Trudeau's office said, in turn, that neither the Canadian Prime Minister nor Zelensky's delegation were notified in advance of the invitation of Hunka.
Canadians should question who their government leaders glorify, the Russian Embassy in Canada said in a statement.
"Citizens of this country must once again think about who their leaders glorify and what kind of junta they support in Ukraine. Russia condemns any form of glorification of Nazism. And Russia will always remember heroism of Canadian sons and daughters who fought side by side with us to free the world from Nazi plague," the Embassy said on Monday.
It added that the Canadian parliament's standing ovation for the Ukrainian Nazi veteran was a "shameful" incident that will forever be remembered in the history of Canadian democracy.
Warsaw also demanded an apology from Canada, with Polish Ambassador to Canada Witold Dzielski saying on Monday that Poland will never agree to "whitewash" Nazis.