Online news framing of police and protesters in Europe: Press treatment of street demonstrations in London, Athens and Barcelona (2020–21).

This study examines the online news framing of police and protesters during three European protests in late 2020 and early 2021: the Sarah Everard vigil in London, the 47th Athens Polytechnic uprising anniversary rally, and the protests against the imprisonment of Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél in Barcelona. Analyzing 114 articles from six ideologically diverse news outlets across the United Kingdom, Greece, and Spain, the research identifies two dominant frames for police actions—'police brutality' and 'order-maintenance'—which correlate with the political orientation of the media. Protesters are framed more variably, often delegitimized in conservative outlets, especially in Spain, where both left- and right-leaning media portray protesters negatively, while in the UK and Greece framing is more polarized along ideological lines. The study concludes that media framing depends on the perceived deviance and threat level of the protest, with official sources heavily influencing coverage, and highlights differences in journalism cultures and practices across the three countries.