Rob Schneider addresses boldness to talk politics: 'You have to think, what are you really leaving behind?'
'SNL' alum Rob Schneider talks politics with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade and the concerns he has in America on Saturday's 'One Nation.'
Actor and comedian Rob Schneider added his voice to a chorus of others already expressing outrage over the Canadian Parliament's decision last Friday to honor a veteran who fought for Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
"Just canceled my trip to Canada," Schneider posted on social media Monday. "I just can't… It's beyond the pale. Trudeau’s tyranny against peaceful trucker protesters seems insignificant to this despicable and outrageous act of honoring of one of ADOLF HITLER’S NAZI SS Soldiers by the Canadian Parliament," he said, referencing Freedom Convoy protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates that sparked intense criticism and a series of arrests.
The 59-year-old comedian, whose father is Jewish, concluded the post with, "No words…"
CANADA UNDER FIRE FOR APPLAUDING ‘LITERAL NAZI’ IN PARLIAMENT DURING ZELENSKYY VISIT
Rob Schneider attends the premiere of "Flatliners" at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 2017. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Parliament erupted into cheers Friday as 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, who served in the First Ukrainian Division under Nazi command, was recognized as a "war hero."
The division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, which fought for the Nazis as its paramilitary arm under the Schutzstaffel organization, according to the Toronto Star.
The incident coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's first visit to the country's capital of Ottawa, and it quickly riled critics and Jewish groups enough to demand apologies.
Schneider, further putting the decision on blast, got more incendiary with another post that read, "Don’t you stupid f---ing Canadians know THIS A--H@LE fought for the NAZIS?! Not what we call Nazis today. Like, the REAL Nazis! This guy fought for Hitler! Not like what we call people Hitler today. THEE Hitler! Like in actual Adolf Hitler."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognize Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance and fought with the First Ukrainian Division in World War II before later immigrating to Canada, in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday. (AP )
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), a Canadian nonprofit dedicated to educating people on the Holocaust, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "FSWC is appalled that Canada’s Parliament gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during the Second World War implicated in the mass murder of Jews and others. An apology and explanation is owed."
In an op-ed published in the Toronto Sun on Sunday, Canadian columnist Joe Warmington called for a "full apology" for honoring Hunka.
Anthony Rota, the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons who described Hunka as someone who fought for "Ukrainian independence against the Russians," resigned Tuesday after meeting with party leaders.
"No one in this House is above any of us. Therefore I must step down as your speaker," he said in Parliament.
CANADIAN CLERGY REBUKE TRUDEAU FOR INVOKING EMERGENCIES ACT, OTHER ‘TYRANNICAL ACTIONS
Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP)
"I reiterate my profound regret for my error in recognizing an individual in the House during the joint address to Parliament of President Zelenskyy. That public recognition has caused pain to individuals and communities, including to the Jewish community in Canada and around the world in addition to Nazi survivors in Poland among other nations. I accept full responsibility for my actions," he continued.
Schneider, in a separate social media post, called the resignation a "very good start."
Rota's office previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital, saying, "I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to [invite Hunka]. I wish to make clear that no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them."
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media.
Fox News' Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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