UKRAINE | GLORIFICATION OF NAZI COLLABORATORS
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As reported on 7 October, the city of Kalush in Western Ukraine has named a street for Hauptsturmführer Dmitro Paliyiv, a key founder of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS Galizien division. The division enjoyed a visit from Heinrich Himmler during World War II.
15 OCT. UPDATES: JTA report; ALSO: Up to 20,000 participated in annual October 14th Kiev march to glorify the fascist UPA; Nazi salutes reported by Radio Free Europe
A dauntless citizen of Kalush filed a case to overturn this renaming. He lost in the local court and appealed to Lviv regional administrative court. That ruling was scheduled for yesterday, but it was postponed as representatives from extremist groups in their uniforms showed up to intimidate both the plaintiff and the judge. One observer said: “The message from these extremist groups was clear: Don’t you dare come to court to challenge naming a street for a Waffen-SS Hauptsturmführer.”
The following are the extremist groups who came to court yesterday to support the renaming of a street to glorify the Ukrainian Waffen-SS leader:
Aidar Battalion: An ultranationalist private battalion that was fighting for Ukraine’s government. Accused by Amnesty Internatinal of committing war crimes. Western darling Nadiya Savchenko was with Aidar (same Savchenko who’s been making antisemitic outbursts since returning to Ukraine). Vita Zaverukha also fought with Aidar.
Right Sector: A major ultranationalist group.
OUN: Yes, there is a modern-day OUN (“Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists”) in Ukraine. They are the self-described descendants of the Holocaust-era OUN whose militias collaborated with the Nazis and killed Jewish and Polish civilians on the basis of ethnicity. The current OUN leader Bogdan Chervak has suggested that those opposed to renaming a street in Kiev after Nazi collaborator Roman Shukhevych should emigrate to Russia or Jerusalem before it is too late. He has also called the men of the SS Galizien “heroes.”
SS Galizien Division Reserve: Like the OUN, SS Galizien division has its self-proclaimed linear successor in today’s Ukraine (completely legally).
Given the threatening forces arrayed against him, its not surprising that the plaintiff decided for his own safety to ask for a postponement. The next hearing is now scheduled for a court in Lviv on October 30th. Defending History continues to track the case.