Anti-EU narratives carry inaccurate epithets of fascism and Nazism

The narrative that the EU, NATO and the West are Nazi or fascist creations is historically and logically inaccurate, and often there is political motivation behind such qualifications. The EU was created precisely to prevent a repeat of the tragedies of World War II, promoting democracy, human rights and peace. NATO, on the other hand, is a defensive alliance aimed at protecting its members and deterring aggression. The ideologies of Nazism and fascism are based on hatred, violence and expansionism, while Western institutions operate on principles of cooperation, the rule of law, and multilateralism

 

Author: Miroslava Simonovska

 

The narrative that portrays the EU and NATO as “Nazis” or “fascists” has been present for a long time, especially in Russian and pro-Russian propaganda. After 2014 and the annexation of Crimea, this narrative intensified significantly. Russian state media outlets began to massively claim that Western countries support the “neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv”. Since then, the term “fascists” has become a regular part of the rhetoric against Ukraine, NATO, and the EU. In the context of the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda has systematically used this narrative to justify aggressive actions, mobilize the domestic population, and divide the international public.

 

 

In the Western Balkans, various events often serve as a “trigger” for the revival of false narratives portraying the EU and NATO as “Nazi” or “fascist.” “Truthmeter.mk” reviewed several examples and came to the conclusion that these untrue epithets of satanization are always at hand and used, and only the occasion and the topic change.

 

Accusations are made in both Serbian and Macedonian

In Serbian and Macedonian, NATO and the EU are accused of everything–from advocating wars to destroying Serbia, along with the notions of being “Nazis and fascists”. In Macedonian, however, the same narratives are used to accuse the EU of wanting to “destroy us as a people.” However, the topics are widespread, and even for the elections in Moldova, there are posts in Serbian accusing the EU of “stealing the elections”. In this way, even the internal democratic circumstances in individual countries, as well as long-standing problems between neighbors, are grafted as the responsibility of the EU and NATO. Nazism and fascism, although distant and contrary to the ideology and the way in which democratic European Western institutions behave and are positioned, are still presented as their “counterpart” in such propaganda posts.

 

 

Labeling the West, the EU, and NATO on social networks in the region as “Nazis” and “fascists” is widespread even on formal occasions where media outlets report on the visit of Serbian ministers to Russia, while not failing to insult European institutions and link them to Nazism and fascism.

 

The history of anti-fascism as a factor in propaganda

The Balkans have a strong historical (and emotional) connection to World War II, fascism, and the anti-fascist struggle. In the former Yugoslavia, anti-fascism was part of the state identity. Therefore, accusing someone of “fascism” has enormous symbolic weight and evokes a strong emotional reaction. This context makes the region susceptible to manipulation through this type of rhetoric.

 

The main thesis in this type of narrative is that the EU and/or NATO operate centrally, suppress national interests, control and reduce statehood of countries, and eliminate freedom–the exact opposite of reality. Within the Western Balkans, this is often celebrated through parallels with “Nazi” or “fascist” regimes–for example, the EU is described as “Nazi Europe” or “a new form of Nazism,” while NATO is seen as an instrument of “military aggression” and “domination.”

 

The “fascists” of the EU and the Macedonian people

In North Macedonia specifically, this narrative undermines trust in the EU and NATO, reinforces polarization in society, and makes the process of European integration and building a critical media culture more difficult.

The narrative that presents the EU, NATO, and the West as fascist or Nazi forces in the Western Balkans and North Macedonia is a powerful rhetorical construct that combines history, identity, national sensitivities, and geopolitical games. It serves as a tool for resistance, mobilization, and political positioning. It also carries significant risks: it hinders public debate, weakens trust in integration, facilitates the exploitation of fear, and increases vulnerability to disinformation. For the countries of the Western Balkans, the challenge lies in developing capacities for media literacy, clear political speech, and strong institutions, in order to defend their sovereignty, but also to participate boldly and rationally in the Euro-Atlantic process.

In North Macedonia (and more broadly in the Western Balkans), the narrative that the EU and NATO are “fascist”, “Nazi” or “occupying” institutions is not used at all arbitrarily, but is most often associated with certain sensitive topics.

In particular, there are examples in which it is claimed that “some fascists from the EU intend to destroy us as a people.” The messages sent in this way are that the EU is a dictator of the past and the future and dictates to other nations “what to think.” Such messages increase anti-European sentiment due to accusations that “Brussels is implementing the Bulgarian agenda.”

The Moldovan example as an attempt to show a compromised democracy

In other countries, such as Moldova, the internal elections themselves and the democratic processes themselves are presented as compromised by the EU, because the election results are in favor of the pro-European currents in the country. The goal is to create distrust in European democratic processes. Namely, if people think that the EU can steal the elections, then distrust is also created in the electoral system and in the independence of the institutions themselves. This suits political forces close to the Kremlin and they use it as a tool to oppose EU integration. Of course, another consequence of this narrative is the polarization of society, because some believe that the elections are legitimate, and others that they are fraudulent. Naturally, the geopolitical implications of such a narrative for Moldova extend to its relations with the European Union, Russia, and other international actors.

 

The false narratives that the EU and NATO are fascist and that they control the elections serve the sole purpose of creating doubt about the legitimacy of the elections. The accusations, as we have already written, went hand in hand with the false claim that the European Union dictates the outcomes of internal elections in countries, although in reality the opposite is true, namely there were indications of a Russian conspiracy in the Moldovan elections.

The example of Romania

Western democracy is guided by the universal value of respect for human rights and freedoms, and is politically based on democratic and fair elections free from foreign influence, which reflect the wishes and aspirations of the country’s citizens. It is precisely this political postulate that was violated in the presidential elections in Romania due to established Russian interference.

For a long time afterward, the annulled first-round elections, in which the pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu was in the lead, were an occasion for propagandistic labeling of the EU and NATO as dictatorial, fascist, and even Nazi.

We have also noticed incredible claims, of relativization–that the EU is unconcerned with fascists, Al- Qaeda, ISIS, genocides, etc. In reality, the EU and its member states are actively engaged in the fight against terrorism, including against Al-Qaeda. The European Union combats Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations through a combination of legal, security, financial, and diplomatic measures, rather than through direct military action (except within the framework of NATO or other alliances). The EU also imposes sanctions on individuals and organizations associated with terrorism, such as asset freezes and travel bans, and its member states have harmonized laws to prevent the financing of terrorism, organized crime, and money laundering.

Europol coordinates investigations between member states and ensures the exchange of intelligence, while Eurojust coordinates judicial cooperation between member states, as well as other actors in the fight against crime. The West is also focused on programs to prevent extremism and terrorism, especially among young people and on the Internet, i.e. it fights radicalization.

Therefore, the narrative that the EU, NATO, and the West are Nazi or fascist is historically and logically incorrect, and often politically motivated. The EU was created precisely to prevent a repeat of the tragedies of World War II, promoting democracy, human rights and peace. NATO, on the other hand, is a defensive alliance whose purpose is to protect its members and prevent aggression, not to spread terror or totalitarianism.

The ideologies of Nazism and fascism are based on hatred, violence, and expansionism, while Western institutions operate on principles of cooperation, the rule of law, and multilateralism. Therefore, comparing these contemporary structures to historical regimes is not only misleading, but also dangerous, as it undermines public awareness of the real threats posed by truly totalitarian and terrorist groups.

 

 

 

All comments and remarks regarding this and other Vistinomer articles, correction and clarification requests as well as suggestions for fact-checking politicians’ statements and political parties’ promises can be submitted by using this form