Greens MP candidate blasted for insulting minister on social media

A Greens candidate MP has been referred to the party’s disciplinary council after hurling insults on social media at Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, it emerged on Tuesday.

Party head Charalambos Theopemptou said on Tuesday the issue has been referred to the electoral board that will convene at the end of the week.

“We believe that such posts are unacceptable,” Theopemptou told the Cyprus Mail a day after Nicosia district candidate MP lawyer Michalis Paraskevas verbally assaulted Yiolitis over her comments on the Limassol carnival gatherings.

“There comes a point where you feel like saying shut up you w**er, f***ing society within this shithole of a place. Everyone is talking through their arse, nowadays,” Paraskevas said, among other things.

Paraskevas responded in a similar way to a tweet by head of the president’s press office Victoras Papadopoulos, who slammed the Greens for not censuring such behaviour.

Papadopoulos said that the Cyprus Greens were “sexists and revilers” for tolerating such behaviour against a female minister from one of their co-candidates.

“In no case do we adopt the personal attack and disparaging posts against the Minister of Justice,” Theopemptou said in a tweet on Monday.

The Greens leader said on Tuesday that the party’s electoral board will decide how to handle the case.

Paraskevas’ comments also stirred reactions from ruling Disy members and main opposition Akel.

Akel, in a statement, said that Paraskevas’ vulgar attack on the justice minister was “unacceptable and condemnable.”

“Public figures have a responsibility to adhere to a basic level of political ethics,” Akel said. The essence of political dialogue, it added, was juxtaposition of ideas and arguments, not swearing.