Influencer MEP Panayiotou stirs fury by using slur to refer to paralympians

The Cyprus National Paralympic Committee reacted strongly after influencer-turned-politician Fidias Panayiotou called paralympians with intellectual disabilities “loonies” in a podcast episode. 

In the podcast, Fidias was talking with a Cypriot paralympic swimmer Loizos Chrysanthou about the classification of athletes when the MEP referred to paralympians with mental disabilities as “loonies.” 

In a social media post, the non-profit organization condemned “in the strongest terms the offensive, derogatory and deeply regressive comment” made by Panayiotou, a member of the European Parliament. 

Panayiotou’s remarks leave “no room for interpretation: a term that is abusive, stigmatizing and offensive to thousands of our fellow citizens,” the committee said, adding that the use of this term cannot be disguised as humor.

“It is a gross insult to people with intellectual disabilities, to athletes who struggle daily against prejudice and exclusion,” the organization said. 

Given Panayiotou’s position as an MEP, “the issue is not simply moral, it is deeply political and institutional,” the committee said. 

The committee wants the MEP to publicly apologize for using the derogatory term and “to take a stance that promotes respect and awareness.”