Nicosia, Cyprus. Social media influencer and MEP Fidias Panayiotou apologised on Tuesday for calling paralympic athletes “loonies,” while also suggesting criticism of his comments may have been politically motivated.
Apology for language used in podcast
In a video on social media, Panayiotou said he should not have used the word to characterise “anyone, any disability, disorder or illness,” adding that he used the term “without wanting to” and “unwillingly.”
He said the comments were made during a six-and-a-half-hour podcast episode published in November last year. He said paralympic athlete Loizos Chrysanthou appeared on the podcast after expressing interest in standing in May’s parliamentary election as part of Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy party.
Panayiotou said he wanted to publicly acknowledge his mistake and apologised to paralympic athletes in the S14 category and to anyone he may have offended or upset. The S14 category comprises athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Comments on disability and society
Panayiotou said “perhaps one of the deepest reasons” for his use of the word was linked to what he described as society neglecting and ignoring people with disabilities and failing to think of words to describe them with “respect and dignity.”
Suggestion of political motivations
He said the podcast was recorded on November 29 and questioned why some people were criticising him now. He asked whether it was related to Direct Democracy being shown at 10 per cent in polls, compared to five per cent two months earlier.
He added that “whatever interests are at play behind this” did not justify what he said, and that everyone had the right to judge him and accuse him. He said being judged by large numbers of people had helped him become better.
Proposed action involving people with disabilities
Panayiotou said he wanted to take action to help people with disabilities, stating that the next group of people he would bring to the European Parliament would be people with disabilities.
Background to the original comment
The original remark was made after Chrysanthou explained his categorisation as S10, which concerns swimmers with disabilities impacting their legs. Chrysanthou has polyneuropathy, a dysfunction of peripheral nerves that results in numbness and muscle weakness, among other symptoms, in the feet and hands.
How should public figures address mistakes involving language about disability in future statements?
