#le_petit_koulis and #tsipras_the _traitor: Verbal Aggression as an Aspect of Political Violence on Greek Twitter

Abstract

An analysis of specific types of verbal attacks against Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Alexis Tsipras, New Democracy, and Syriza on Greek Twitter during a 20-month period from 1 January 2019 to 31 August 2020 - a period that includes the transfer of power after the Greek general elections of 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020 - provides interesting insights regarding the levels, framing, and ideological orientation (left-wing vs. right-wing) of online aggression. The contextualization of these attacks within the broader political environment in which they took place makes apparent the most invisible aspect of political violence - namely, symbolic violence.