Philippe de Lara: Movements against Liberal Values should not be Confused with Nationalism

The French philosopher Philippe de Lara believes that those anti-liberal movements that are being spread in the EU countries have little to do with nationalism. He said this during the 11^th Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine.

“One should not underestimate the unity of protest movements against the liberal values of Western civilization, as well as their destructive force. Nationalism is not an acceptable definition for them. In conversations about nationalism, aggressive and xenophobic nationalism is mixed with patriotic pride and care for national culture and identity,” the philosopher believes.

He also added that their racist and homophobic views are often hidden behind talks about the nationalist nature of such movements.

“Such groups are very welcomed by the Moscow”, he stressed.

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The annual international event Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 as a platform for high-level discussions on the current issues in Europe and the Black Sea region. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.

The event is being held with the support of NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, the German Marshall Fund, The Victor Pinchuk Foundation, The Royal Institute of International Relations, Chatham House (UK), and The Regional Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine.