Growing up in Spain, I am no stranger to nationalism. For years nationalist parties have poisoned Spain’s public discourse and turned it into an endless battle where ethnic origin, rather than solutions, defines every political conversation. In recent months, the international community has caught a glimpse of Spain’s own internal struggles with nationalism as it fights to contain Catalonia’s separatist movement.

I believe that denouncing a government’s administrative incompetence does not amount to a justification for independence, but such grievances are far from what is currently fuelling the movement’s desire to break away from Spain.

The more you listen to their demands, a pattern all too familiar begins to emerge. They will complain about how los de fuera (outsiders) are coming in, taking their jobs, speaking a language that they don’t consider to be their own. Sound familiar?

Needless to say, nationalism values identity above all else. It appeals to our most primal, and dangerous, inner emotions, forcing us to let go of reason, engulfing our judgment in a cloud of hatred against those we deem to be inferior because of their origin.

The dirty secret of Hong Kong’s protests: hatred of mainlanders

It is clear to me that the violence currently plaguing the streets of Hong Kong carries the banner of localised nationalism. It is no longer “concerned citizens versus unacceptable legislation”. It is “Hong Kong versus anything Chinese”, and it is frightening.