Vera Tika
Founder & Executive Director
Vera Tika is a political scientist whose research investigates the structural and discursive transformations of contemporary democracy, with a particular emphasis on far-right extremism, populist mobilizations, and the erosion of liberal democratic norms.
Her scholarly work explores how exclusionary ideologies—rooted in xenophobia, nationalism, and anti-pluralism—become embedded within mainstream politics and normalized through both institutional processes and affective public discourse. She analyses the evolving interplay between far-right actors, populist narratives, and systemic democratic decline, with particular attention to their manifestations in Southern Europe and the Western Balkans.
Her research further interrogates the role of hate speech, disinformation, and algorithmically-amplified propaganda in shaping collective identities and fueling socio-political polarization, both online and offline.
Vera holds degrees in Political Science and History from Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. Her work adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from political theory, democratic studies, and critical discourse analysis to examine how illiberalism proliferates in times of perceived crisis.
Her academic trajectory is grounded in a commitment to documenting and analysing the cultural, institutional, and communicative mechanisms through which democratic space contracts and authoritarian tendencies take root.
Her voice is present in European policy forums, academic conferences, and the media — always calling attention to the deep societal costs of hate and the urgent need for collective, democratic response.
She believes that defending democracy means more than resisting authoritarianism — it means cultivating belonging, amplifying marginalized voices, and creating space for people to reclaim agency.
Through 2Act4, she works to turn that belief into action — every single day.
Nikos Gaitenidis, Co-founder.
Graduated from the Department of International and European, Political and Economic Studies of the University of Macedonia. He completed postgraduate studies in European Law at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He received his doctorate degree in 2015 from the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Macedonia.
He was an associate of the Centre of International and European Economic Law, responsible for the implementation of several research and institution building programs (2016 – 2021). He has also provided scientific services for the Greek Ministry of Justice (2020) and the Labor Institute of GSEE (2021 – 2023). He has managed successfully and participated as an expert in several European funded projects for many academic and research institutions (Erasmus+, Jean Monnet, JUSTICE, Civil Justice, Europeaid, Twinning etc.).
He had taught courses on human rights and EU studies at the University of Macedonia, Panteion University, the Democretus University and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His research interests and publications focus on the protection of human rights in Europe, social and cultural rights, equality and anti-discrimination policies, European Union integration and minority protection.