The rise of far-right and far-left political parties has been a long-standing concern for policymakers. In the last few years, Europe, the US, and the UK have seen an alarming rise of populism and populist political parties – raising fears that, if these parties gain power, the political fabric of the continent could be irreversibly altered. But what has driven this rise? Some argue that mainstream parties across the right, centre, and left have failed to address voters’ concerns and grievances, creating space for populist political parties and individuals to dominate the political landscape.

Others suggest that populist and anti-establishment parties and politicians have been significantly more adept at exploiting online platforms and using disinformation to advance their agendas. Is this accurate? If so, why have they been more successful in shaping the digital arena – and what must be done to counter these trends? These are just some of the pressing questions we will explore at our upcoming online event.

To register for the event, please, CLICK HERE.

Professor Saul Newman

Professor Saul Newman is Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths University of London. He is an expert on populism, the politics of misinformation and ‘post-truth’, and the future of liberal democracy, having written and researched widely on these topics. He was recently a part of a Horizon/UKRI research project on post-truth politics in which he made policy recommendations to EU policy makers on social media regulation and democratic resilience. His most recent books include, Post-Truth Populism: A New Political Paradigm? (2024) and Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Post-Factual Age? (forthcoming 2026) with Maximilan Conrad.

Susan Benesch 

Susan Benesch is the founder and Executive Director of the Dangerous Speech Project, which studies speech that can inspire violence and works to find ways to prevent that violence, without infringing on freedom of expression. Trained as an international human rights lawyer, Susan speaks and publishes widely. She is an adjunct professor at American University, and Faculty Associate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Dr Helena Ivanov

Dr Helena Ivanov is an Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. She recently completed a PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research focuses on the relationship between propaganda and violence against civilians. In her thesis, Helena examined the role propaganda played during the Yugoslav Wars and produced a model for studying propaganda which details the key phases, functions, discourses, and techniques of propaganda (the model itself is applicable to other contexts). Additionally, Helena also served as a Manager at the Centre for International Studies at the LSE.

Prior to her PhD, Helena completed an MPhil in Political Theory at the University of Oxford, and holds a BA in Politics from the University of Belgrade.