The use of the term ‘loonies’ to describe people with mental disabilities is a “rotten perception” and it was unthinkable that an MEP would do so, president of the Cyprus confederation of organisations for people with disabilities (Kysoa) Themis Anthopoulou said on Monday.

Referring to remarks by member of the European Parliament and social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou during a podcast that people with intellectual disabilities were “loonies”, Anthopoulou said it was “unthinkable that an MEP would use racist language”.

Human rights commissioner Maria Stylianou Lottides said the road to equality and non discrimination was still long and pointed out that the main problem was not what he said, but that his “spontaneous characterisation of a person with a disability as a ‘loony’ revealed his concept and beliefs”.

Fidias’ remarks, Anthopoulou told the Cyprus News Agency, referred to “very distant times when people with intellectual disabilities were regarded as problematic” and were “locked in their homes because it was a disgrace to have such people in your family”.

“We are not living at the beginning of the previous century, nor at its end, we are not living in an apartheid regime, we are not living in the dark ages,” she pointed out.

“The view that people with mental disabilities are ‘loonies’ cannot be a simple mistake,” she said and wondered “how can this person represent us at the European Parliament level?”

Anthopoulou said Kysoa did not accept the excuse that Fidias Panayiotou “is young and will learn”. Fidias is 25.

“We are not talking about a child at nursery school. We are talking about an adult who is involved in politics on the benches of the European Parliament,” she added.

Anthopoulou insisted that this was not a mistake.

“It is not a mistake, it is his view and he voiced it in mirth while eating a salad. It was not a slip of the tongue. Let us not confuse the two,” she said.

In the video, Fidias is seen interviewing para-swimmer Loizos Chrysanthou, who aspires to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He then places a salad on the table, adds dressing and proceeds to eat it.

Lottides said that remarks such as those made by Fidias could not be considered thoughtless when they come from people who exercise authority with a mandate to represent and act at least on behalf of a large group of voters.

“Then, the reflection of the speech ceases to be superficial and insignificant, but has the power to erode the foundations of a democratic society, one that is based on the values of equality and non discrimination, freedom and the respect of the human rights of all people without exception,” Lottides said.

She added that labelling a person with disabilities as a “loony” did not show respect and inclusion, and “no matter how short or spontaneous it was, it does not cease to have a dynamic, as a reflection of a society poor in education and culture”.

“In the year 2026, if the MEP has revealed anything through his little videos, it is that the road to equality and non discrimination, for inclusion and a society without derogatory exclusions, is still long,” Lottides said.

The remarks were slammed on Monday by the Special Olympics Cyprus, which said such expressions “reinforce stereotypical perceptions and undermine institutional and social efforts for the equal inclusion of these individuals”.

On Sunday, the Cyprus Paralympic Committee condemned “in the most categorial manner the offensive, derogatory, and deeply regressive comment”.