MARTIN SELLNER: »I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IN THE COMING CRISIS WE WILL GET A CHANCE TO SAVE EUROPE

Martin Sellner is a well known identitarian activist and a leader of the Austrian identitarian movement. We spoke to him about the sucesfull metapolitical strategies, his current activities, the repression Generation Identity faced, and about other interesting topics.

For the beginning could you tell us how would you define the term »identitarian«, especially in its relation to other similar terms, such as »nationalism« or »patriotism«? What does it mean to be an identitarian in today´s world?

To be an identitarian today means the same as at any time: to fight for the preservation of one’s ethnocultural identity and to work for a world that offers ideal conditions for the life of peoples. The concept is so powerful because it is supra-temporal and not limited to specific eras and cultural areas. What is a “nation”? Was Leonidas the Spartan a “nationalist”? A tough question. In any case, he was identitarian and fought for his identity.

When did you became active within the right wing circles? In a recent interview you did for Flemish NSVTV, you explained that before that you had mostly »mainstream« leftist views…

It was a long journey… For me, it began when I was about 15 years old, when we were taught history and politics at school.  The uniform opinion of my class and the propaganda of my teachers annoyed me very much. I began to inform myself. The Internet was still a fairly new thing at that time. So I formed my own alternative worldview.

You are mostly known as the leader of the Austrian branch Generation Identity movement. It seems that because of repression and censorship this movement has become inactive both in Austria and in Europe. What are the main reasons for this? Was the movement banned in Austria, like for instance in France?

The movement is not inactive, but just less visible, especially from an international perspective. The reason for this is clearly repression. In Austria, our logo, the Lambda, is currently banned. What is a movement without its sign?

Therefore, there are numerous, small local groups, but they regularly cause a stir with spectacular actions. But the big actions like “Defend Europe” are not taking place at the moment. The reason for this is, as I said, the repression in almost all countries.

What are the main identitarian activities in Austria today? Are there any new projects or organisations?

As I said, activism continued unabated. There are anonymous action blogs to which action groups send their pictures and videos. In 2020, we created a patriotic citizens’ movement for this purpose, which was active with great success in the Corona period. Numerous projects were created: Newspapers, a digital university, media formats, etc. I myself also focused on theoretical work writing books and giving lectures.

As an influential and internationally well known identitarian activist  you have been the target of both legal persecution, media attacks, and also various antifa groups. Tell us a bit more about this…

Repression takes place at all levels. Media demonization generates social and economic pressure. In the eyes of the press, I am an “extremist,” am trying to put me in the vicinity of terrorists.

This leads, among other things, to my not being able to enter England and the USA. My wife comes from that country. I have had cars set on fire, I have been attacked by left-wing extremists, and I have already had more than 57 bank accounts terminated. But you learn to deal with it. It is the price of “freedom of speech”.

One of the main strategies of identitarian groups is metapolitics. What are some of the advantages of metapolitical activism, and what were some of the biggest achievements of identitarian metapolitical activism in Austria?

The way we have shaped and are shaping the discourse. The crucial problem of “population exchange” was popularized by us in the right-wing camp. Now the FPÖ and the AFD are also talking about it. Our demand for “remigration,” meanwhile, is also becoming the basic consensus in the entire patriotic camp. Thus, we raise awareness, create unity and strengthen the key concepts.

Last summer, for example, the Freedom Youth organized a “Remigration Tour”.

Just like Slovenia, Austria has also seen an increase in illegal migrations in the last year. But unlike our current liberal government, it seems that the Austrian government is more willing to deal with this problem. How do you view current migration policies of your country and what are some of the measures, in regard to both legal and illegal migrations, that you believe European countries should adopt?

Every now and then there is a symbolic act to satisfy one’s constituents. But what we actually need is a comprehensive policy of remigration. Illegals must be brought back to their homeland. The push and pull factors for migration must be reversed so that we can dismantle the parallel societies. There needs to be a European border policy, a crackdown on smugglers and “push backs” for every illegal.

For the end maybe you could tell us what do you think awaits us in the future, after the Covid crisis, and the current war in the Ukraine? What would be the best strategy of various right-wing and identitarian groups in the current sociopolitical atmosphere?

An exciting, thrilling and decisive time awaits us. The “convergence of catastrophes” of which Guillaume Faye spoke is imminent. Partly due to incompetence, partly due to inescapable problems such as deglobalization and aging, the level of prosperity can probably no longer be maintained. An impoverished middle class is always already in favor of oppositional politics. What seems unthinkable today may become the new policy tomorrow. I firmly believe that in the coming crisis we will get a chance to save Europe. We have to be ready and set ourselves up well. We need strong, peaceful movements, effective media, think tanks, counterculture, and patriotic parties that also strengthen the meta-political environment. Only in this way will we create a “reconquista” i.e. a cultural revolution from the right.

Thank you very much for the interview! Do you have any last message for the Slovenian identitarians and nationalists?

Yes, never give up hope. The situation seems hopeless, but times are changing. We, patriots and conservatives, are right on all counts. We are made for the coming time of self-created crises. A massive gain in power and a great opportunity await us. We must not squander it!

ПРЕУЗЕТО СА: https://tradicijaprotitiraniji.org/