Earlier works on European far-right parties frequently concentrate on electoral performance, ideological origins, or campaign strategies in mainstream media. Studies of the National Rally(NR) in France, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Germany, and the Freedom Party in Austria (FPÖ) have provided solid analyses of how far-right populism takes shape in national contexts. Research often pinpoints the internet’s role but has not systematically investigated longform video platforms to the same extent. This volume strengthens the conversation by linking digital content to actual voter decisions. Drawing on Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis(MCDA), it scrutinises a large set of YouTube videos—over 100 clips—alongside direct interviews with 35 party supporters. This study enriches the body of scholarship that looks beyond textual analysis of political messages, addressing how visual elements, emotional appeals,and online audience engagement intersect.

First, it uses Greece’s tumultuous crisis to demonstrate how a group canescalate from marginal extremist status to major parliamentary contender, exploiting web-basedplatforms with minimal oversight. Second, it situates Golden Dawn’s rise and post-convictionlegacy within the broader panorama of emerging far-right organisations across Europe. Thesecomparisons show where the Greek case reflects pan-European phenomena—economicgrievances, anti-immigration sentiment, distrust of ‘the establishment’—and where it diverges,for example in the immediate legal repercussions that finally curtailed Golden Dawn’sparliamentary representation.

Georgios Samaras is an Assistant Professor at King’s College London. His research examines far-right politics, political communication, online radicalisation and democratic backsliding, with a particular focus on Greece and Europe. His work has appeared in leading academic journals and international media outlets.