SBO project VIOLINE - Understanding and responding to online violence against politicians

Online violence against politicians (OVAP) is on the rise, and Flanders (Belgium) is no exception.
Recent data show that 83% of politicians receive insulting or abusive messages on social media at
least once a month, and many report frequent harassment, slander, and online harm (Van Bavel,
Erzeel, & Celis, 2025). This trend is alarming: while conflict and disagreement are essential to
democracy, a shift toward violent confrontation undermines the democratic principle of resolving
disputes through non-violent means. VIOLINE responds to the urgent need to better understand and
address OVAP as a serious threat to democracy. To achieve this, the project defines three interlinked
scientific objectives and three utilization goals, which form the foundation of its research and impact
strategy. The scientific goals aim to develop a systematic understanding of OVAP, its conditions, how
key democratic actors perceive it, and how it can be addressed. It uses a multi-method designcombining social media analysis, surveys and interviews with politicians, survey experiments and
focus groups with citizens, and news content analysis and interviews with journalists. In addition, it
applies an innovative co-design methodology to co-develop effective and legitimate OVAP measures
with politicians, citizens and journalists. The utilization objectives respond to societal needs by: (1)
building, sharing, and anchoring scientific knowledge about OVAP; (2) raising public awareness; and
(3) developing strategies for democratic actors to respond to OVAP. Each objective will produce a
dedicated toolkit: (1) visual materials and learning spaces for professional stakeholders; (2) a
podcast series, popular science communication, and outreach events for the broader public; and (3)
a response toolbox, training module, and institutional blueprints for democratic actors. VIOLINE’s
societal impact is reinforced by 13 key stakeholders who will apply the toolkits in their regular work.