© Rachel Emmanual/TwitterChrystia Freeland demonstrating with the OUN(B) Banderites against Russian aggression in Ukraine. The small banner is in the black and red colors of the Banderites. It bears the slogan is of the Banderites "Glory to Ukraine!".
A now-deleted Twitter post from iPolitics originally said that the banner was connected with "far-right Ukrainian nationalists who have links to neo-Nazis."
© iPolitics/Twitter
The outlet later issued a new tweet stating: "CORRECTION: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freehand was photographed holding up a scarf in colours associated with far-right Ukrainian nationalists," omitting the neo-Nazi portion.
The article itself was edited to soften the language originally used and to eliminate the use of "neo-Nazis".
Despite numerous alterations, the article's correction note read:
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to state that Freeland was pictured with a scarf, not a banner or a sign. Comments by Jars Balan on the scarf's political context have also been clarified to better reflect his views.
True North's Candice Malcolm was first to report that Freeland posted, then deleted, the photo of her posing with the banner on her own official social media accounts.
The photo also showed Toronto Mayor John Tory and said, "We stand united. We stand with Ukraine. Nous sommes unis. Nous sommes debout aux côtés de l'Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!"
Malcolm later tweeted: "I hear from a source in the loop that Chrystia Freeland's office 'lost their s**t that this is even being reported.'"
The colors are associated with the Bandera movement. Stepan Bandera was a Nationalist Ukrainian politician during World War II and has been accused of war crimes against Jews and Poles. Bandera helped form the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (UPA) which media have called "far-right" and "Neo-Nazis."
In fact, many Bandera flags were spotted during the Toronto demonstration that Freeland participated in.
Both Trudeau and Freeland had smeared the freedom protesters who participated in the Freedom Convoy demonstrations as racists and Nazis after a confederate flag and a Nazi flag were spotted in Ottawa.
Following the photo, a number of outlets have attempted to debunk the photo op, questioning whether she really posed with "extremist symbols."
In a National Post article titled: "Did Chrystia Freeland pose with extremist symbols or is it Russian disinformation?" Freeland's office responded that the criticisms of the photo were "disinformation."
Speaking with Politico's Ottawa Playbook, Freeland's press secretary Adrienne Vaupshas said:
"A classic KGB disinformation smear is accusing Ukrainians and Ukrainian-Canadians of being far right extremists or fascists or Nazis. Indeed, President Putin's express goal is the 'denazification' of a country led by a Jewish-Ukrainian president."The Post Millennial reached out to Emmanuel who said, "I can't speak to specifics due to confidentiality reasons. The evidence speaks for itself."
Most Ukrainians in Canada have grown up being told how bad the Soviets were to their parents/grandparents, so obviously they believe the media when the Russian Federation is blamed for things. It does not matter to them that Stalin, Marxs and Engels [Link] are gone or that their philosophy is no longer enforced by Bolsheviks in the new Federation.
It is a double blind situation where they are blind to evil and they are blind to truth, which leaves them bobbing around without a rudder in an ocean of political propaganda.
Freeland (Chomiak) will continue to get their support because she hails from Ukrainian stock and therefor, to the Ukrainians anyway, she must be honest because she and her family are said to have experienced the same horrors at the hands of Stalin as the parents and grandparents of all the other immigrants did.
To them there is NO way the Ukraine could be bad if it still fights Russia in some form. To them Turdeau is a 'true leader' for standing up to the tyranny of the Russian horde, and for hiring Freeland, of course.
All these Ukrainians live west of Ontario. There are a million or two of them, it's tough to tell exactly. What they do is keep Turdeau in power by voting liberal while their western neighbors hate Turdeau, Freeland, Singh, O'Toole and everyone else in power today.
We are seeing the same adverse political impact created by the millions of Chinese in Canada too.
Am I racist, as Turdeau claims, because I don't like outside influence in our politics?
If so then leaders of other nations decrying external meddling in their affairs must be racist too.