"I should not have used that word. I publicly acknowledge my mistake," stated the independent Member of the European Parliament, Fidias Panayiotou. In a social media video, where he regularly conducts his political work he made a public apology, following a comment about the disabled, which sparked an outrage and political reactions.
During a podcast with Paralympic athlete Loizos Chrysanthou, who is also an aspiring parliamentary candidate for Fidias' Direct Democracy party, Fidias asked about the classification category S14: "Is that for crazy people?"
"Everyone was ready to attack me, and to tell you the truth, this time they did well," acknowledging that his comment was wrong and inappropriate.
At the same time however, he pointed out that the video was released on 29 November 2025, implying that the main reason of the criticism coming from his opponents is due to his popularity as shown in recent surveys.
At the same time, Panayiotou stressed that he should not have used that particular word to describe any person with a disability, disorder, or illness. He explained that, although the use of the word was unintentional, this does not absolve him of responsibility for the content of his statement.
Reactions
The incident prompted reactions from citizens and organisations, with many calling for greater sensitivity in public speech, especially from those holding public office. The Cyprus Paralympic Committee filed a complaint against Phidias Panayiotou with the European Parliament, while the Cyprus Union of Sports Organisations for the Disabled described his remark as "outdated thinking." Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, emphasising that people with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments should be able to participate fully and equally in society. The Special Olympics Federation also called on Phidias to respond with respect and institutional responsibility.
"I want to publicly acknowledge my mistake and to say a sincere sorry," said Fidias, one more time at the end of his video.