By XHABIR DERALLA

How would you describe a nationalist? Most of the nationalists that the public knows are pretty colorful characters, in every sense of the word. Regardless of where they are – in politics, academia, NGO sector, media or somewhere else – they are characterized by features that even if they weren’t nationalists, they would still be shadowy characters.

Even their characters and description of appearance or choice of clothes and lifestyles are often distinctive, but let’s not get into that, because we could get misunderstood very easily.

Nationalists claim that they represent the “people”, that they protect the “nation”.

They have the definitions of these terms completely confused, and when they engage in explaining them (the terms), you get the feeling that they have put you in some kind of a time machine and have taken you back at least 90 years, to the time when the reformed (deformed) socialist who later they called Il Duce, started climbing the latter of power in Italy, and a bit later, his much more powerful ally, became the Fůhrer of Germany. A more recent historical example in this context is the emergence of Russian dictator Putin.

Nationalists constantly talk about the nation being threatened by “others”, neglecting the definitions about what a nation is nowadays. If there is one thing they are neglecting more, then it’s reality. And neglecting the reality in terms of these issues, produces radical ideas that can lead to calls for extermination of entire nations (genocide).

Why?

Well, because those “others” want to take away the dignity and spiritual and material richness of what the nationalists claim to be theirs and only theirs.

In this era of post-truth, when it’s difficult, and very often impossible to separate disinformation from information, and when facts, no matter how reliable they are, are rejected because “someone” doesn’t like the truth – the task of nationalists is simple.

In the perception and vocabulary of the nationalists, the main thing is the claim that they – the others, the different ones – no matter how less numerous they are, represent a mortal danger to the life, security, well-being, historical and any other “heritage”, honor and dignity of the nation.

In building the narratives about the “others”, messages are used that they are dirty, sneaky, evil and dishonest. And that they just want to live off the backs of the poor nation, while the honest and hardworking patriots are trying to earn an honest living. That’s why the nationalists call, it’s time to show them where they belong.

It’s important to the nationalists they arepresented and accepted as patriots, that they are only defending what is “ours” and “sacred”. He who believes them and decides to follow them, steps into the hell of hatred and violence.

Translation by: N. Cvetkovska