Assistant Professor of Public Policy
School for Government
The Policy Institute
georgios.samaras (a) kcl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 7325
40 Aldwych
Bush House - North East Wing
King’s College London
Room 8.09
WC2B 4BG
Instagram / Bluesky
Publications
Since 2019, religion has been increasingly weaponised in Greek politics by three far-right parties: Greek Solution, Victory, and Voice of Reason. This article examines the through a discourse analysis of manifestos, parliamentary speeches, social media posts, news articles, and interviews, focusing on their leaders as central figures in their communication strategies.
From Surveillance to Suppression: The New Face of Greek Politics. Accepted in Index on Censorship.
An analysis of how abuse of laws in Greece is being weaponised to intimidate journalists and erode democratic accountability. It highlights the worrying acceptance of SLAPPs and targeted wiretapping, reportedly directed by figures in the Prime Minister’s close circle.
Who Rules the Land of Denial? Lessons from the Rise of Online Radicalisation in Greece During the Economic Crisis. Book Project. In Progress.
A rigorous analysis of the far-right Greek party Golden Dawn’s use of social media platforms between 2012 and 2019. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines content analysis of 308 social media posts with 35 semi-structured interviews of former voters. It uncovers how Golden Dawn exploited unregulated online spaces to disseminate extremist ideology, circumvent traditional media bans, and secure significant voter support.
Opening the Floodgates of Hate: An Investigation into Golden Dawn's Online Extremism. PhD Thesis. Available.This thesis is a study of the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn and its activity on three social media platforms from 2012 to 2019: YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. This study also investigates voting behaviour to contextualise Golden Dawn’s strategy on social media.
Working Papers
Framing the Crisis: How Extreme-Right Narratives Mobilised Voters through Cultural Resonance in Greece. Working Paper. Under Submission - available upon request.
This paper offers a theoretically informed account of how Greece’s extreme-right Golden Dawn converted economic hardship, immigration, and perceived cultural decline into politically resonant frames during the financial crisis. Drawing on social movement framing theory, it moves beyond descriptive correlations and emotionality to show how extreme-right actors strategically shape public understandings of turmoil.
This essay investigates how the Greek extreme-right wields persuasive communication and tactical campaigning even under severe constraints, focusing on Ilias Kasidiaris, a former Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Golden Dawn, sentenced to 13 years in 2020 for leading a criminal organisation
This article examines how the Greek extreme-right party Golden Dawn harnessed YouTube to promote nationalist propaganda through multimodal strategies encompassing text, imagery, and audio. By blending long-standing nationalist narratives with the distinctive affordances of digital platforms, Golden Dawn’s video content reflects the resilience and adaptability of extreme-right movements operating within contemporary media ecologies
This visual essay of the Greek far-right explores how political groups—Golden Dawn, Greek Solution, Niki, and Voice of Reason—select and manipulate images to propagate nationalist, Islamophobic, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, and religiously conservative rhetoric. Utilizing visual content analysis and discourse analysis of content shared on X (formerly Twitter), the study uncovers strategic framing of historical symbols, cultural signifiers, and social tensions.
The paper outlines the rise and fall of SYRIZA, the left-wing political party in Greece. Initially propelled to power in 2015 on an anti-austerity platform, the party’s ascent reflected public discontent with neoliberal policies. However, SYRIZA’s subsequent compromises, including agreeing to austerity measures it once opposed, led to its political marginalisation and decline by 2024.
This visual essay explores the role of memes and imagery in the dissemination of conspiracy theories on X (formerly Twitter) during the 2024 US Presidential Election, focusing on Elon Musk’s engagement with far-right narratives. It examines how visual media, including AI-generated content, pop culture references, and emotionally charged symbols, are used to shape digital discourse and influence public perception.
This study critically examines the mainstream media's use of the term "hard-right" to categorise far-right political parties, highlighting its insufficient scholarly foundation and resulting mislabelling. Similar to populism, "hard-right" has become a buzzword in scholarly literature, yet it lacks any academic merit.
This article examines the Greek government’s evolving narrative through three distinct phases: an initial acknowledgment of the disaster’s gravity, a subsequent campaign to minimize its severity, and eventual attempts to distort public outrage and shift blame. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study scrutinizes 150 official statements, interviews, and social media posts by government officials and ruling party legislators.
Miscellaneous Publications
Aspiring European Imitators of Trumpism. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Greek views on gendered violence and equality: unveiling attitudes and concerns. London School of Economics. Link.
The "curse" of "overtourism" and extreme inequalities. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Moral Panic and Greek Politics. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
International & European Developments Bulletin #20 | Europe at the Polls – Where is the EU Heading? ENA Institute. Link.
Sliding Away from Unity. University of Oxford - Department of Politics and International Relations (OxPol). Link.
Swift Moves: Tackling Europe's Far-Right Tango with Taylor: Poll to Poll 2024. King’s College London. Link.
Normalisation and Co-existence: extremist tendencies in centre-right factions. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Party Movement and Authoritarian Tendencies in Greece. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Pamphlet No 8: First Thoughts on the 25th June 2023 Election in Greece. PSA Greek Politics. Link.
Pamphlet No 7: First Thoughts on the 21st May 2023 Election in Greece. PSA Greek Politics. Link.
The normalisation of the far-right in Greek politics. ECPR - Illiberalism Paper Series. Link.
The Far-right in Greece and the Parliament. ENA Institute for Alternative Policies Papers. Link.
The Greek Far-Right after Golden Dawn: what’s next? C-REX - University of Oslo. Link.
Outlawing Golden Dawn. European Institute of the Mediterranean Yearbook. Link.
Book Reviews
Aspiring European Imitators of Trumpism. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Greek views on gendered violence and equality: unveiling attitudes and concerns. London School of Economics. Link.
The "curse" of "overtourism" and extreme inequalities. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Moral Panic and Greek Politics. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
International & European Developments Bulletin #20 | Europe at the Polls – Where is the EU Heading? ENA Institute. Link.
Sliding Away from Unity. University of Oxford - Department of Politics and International Relations (OxPol). Link.
Swift Moves: Tackling Europe's Far-Right Tango with Taylor: Poll to Poll 2024. King’s College London. Link.
Normalisation and Co-existence: extremist tendencies in centre-right factions. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Party Movement and Authoritarian Tendencies in Greece. ETERON Institute Papers. Link.
Pamphlet No 8: First Thoughts on the 25th June 2023 Election in Greece. PSA Greek Politics. Link.
Pamphlet No 7: First Thoughts on the 21st May 2023 Election in Greece. PSA Greek Politics. Link.
The normalisation of the far-right in Greek politics. ECPR - Illiberalism Paper Series. Link.
The Far-right in Greece and the Parliament. ENA Institute for Alternative Policies Papers. Link.
The Greek Far-Right after Golden Dawn: what’s next? C-REX - University of Oslo. Link.
Outlawing Golden Dawn. European Institute of the Mediterranean Yearbook. Link.
Book Reviews
The Politics of Memory in the Italian Populist Radical Right. LSE Review of Books. Link.
Populism in Power: Discourse and Performativity in SYRIZA and Donald Trump. LSE Review of Books. Link.
The Capitol Riots: Digital Media, Disinformation, and Democracy Under Attack, edited by Jeppesen et al. International Journal of Press/Politics: 10.1177/19401612231172315.
The Culture of Democracy - A Sociological Approach to Civil Society, edited by Bin Xu. Democratization: 10.1080/13510347.2022.2142209.
Rise of the Extreme Right: A Lowy Institute Paper: Penguin Special, edited by Lydia Khalil. Politics, Religion, and Ideology: 10.1080/21567689.2022.2146283.
Populism in Power: Discourse and Performativity in SYRIZA and Donald Trump. LSE Review of Books. Link.
The Capitol Riots: Digital Media, Disinformation, and Democracy Under Attack, edited by Jeppesen et al. International Journal of Press/Politics: 10.1177/19401612231172315.
The Culture of Democracy - A Sociological Approach to Civil Society, edited by Bin Xu. Democratization: 10.1080/13510347.2022.2142209.
Rise of the Extreme Right: A Lowy Institute Paper: Penguin Special, edited by Lydia Khalil. Politics, Religion, and Ideology: 10.1080/21567689.2022.2146283.