Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Int’l 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, Niki, 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.
Exploiting Fear: Nationalism, Austerity, and the Ideological Mobilisation of Golden Dawn Voters. Working Paper. Under Submission - available upon request.
This study examines voter support for Greece's extreme-right Golden Dawn party during its electoral prominence from 2012 to 2019. Using semi-structured interviews with 35 participants, it explores voter perceptions and ideological justifications, addressing a critical gap in the literature. The analysis identifies three key themes: immigration, the economic crisis, and nationalism.
Hide and Seek: Ilias Kasidiaris' Leadership of Spartans and Communication Tactics Behind Bars. Working Paper. Under Submission - available upon request.
This essay explores the political activities of Ilias Kasidiaris, former Member of the Hellenic Parliament and spokesperson for the extreme-right party Golden Dawn, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2020 for his role in leading a criminal organisation.
From Parliament to Pixels: An Analysis of Golden Dawn’s Extremist Rhetoric on YouTube (2012–2019). Working Paper. Working Paper. Under Submission - available upon request.
Official channels and politicians’ personal profiles are analyzed to explore their key messaging and style. Results of my analysis show that Golden Dawn’s messaging is ultranationalist, populist and adopted negative and emotional language. Additionally, their content openly promoted xenophobia and violence, and aimed at causing insurrection by mobilizing supporters or in some cases calling for the executions of political opponents.
Symbols of the Storm: Visual Narratives of Greek Far-Right Politics. Working Paper. Under Submission - available upon request.
This visual essay investigates the strategic use of imagery by Greek far-right political parties to propagate nationalist, Islamophobic, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, and religiously conservative narratives. Analysing content shared on X using critical discourse analysis (CDA) and visual semiotics, it reveals the appropriation of historical symbols and cultural memory to legitimise exclusionary ideologies.
The Digital Underbelly of Far-Right Trolls and Their Impact on Public Discourse. Working Paper.
This paper proposes a conceptual framework for studying far-right trolling and its impact on public discourse, drawing insights from research on the online far-right, mainstreaming processes, and digital affordances. It conceptualises far-right trolling as part of a dynamic digital ecosystem composed of interconnected entities.
The Demise of SYRIZA in Three Acts. Working Paper.
Here, I examine the rise and fall of SYRIZA, Greece’s Coalition of the Radical Left, during the country’s most severe economic crisis in modern history. The collapse of SYRIZA highlights the systemic challenges radical movements face within capitalist democracies, leaving Greece's political left fractured and without a credible alternative to the status quo.
Outlawing Golden Dawn: Dealing with Right-wing Extremism in Greece. European Institute of the Mediterranean Yearbook. Available.
Following a five-year trial, a Greek court in October 2020 sentenced Golden Dawn's leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos and former members to prison, closing numerous party headquarters across Greece. Despite the trial's positive reception, concerns linger about the party's potential resurgence fueled by nostalgia for dictatorship and economic challenges.
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.
Research Projects
Project: Gender Divide - An Investigation into Gender Issues in Greece. ETERON Institute. Link.
Reports
Project: Gender Divide - An Investigation into Gender Issues in Greece. ETERON Institute. Link.
Reports
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.
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.