Satirist Lazopoulos sorry for disability comments
Comic Lakis Lazopoulos on Wednesday apologized to the National Confederation of Disabled People (NCDP) in the wake of comments he made during a TV show aired late Tuesday that were seen as offensive to people with disabilities and drew criticism from political parties and on social media.
In his popular satirical show “Al Tsantiri News,” Lazopoulos attacked German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, saying, “The longer a person is stuck in a chair, the longer his mind gets stuck on an idea.”
NCDP head Ioannis Vardakastanis on Wednesday called on the actor to apologize. “According to Lazopoulos, Stephen Hawking should spend his time in a closed care home, ‘stuck on an idea,’” Vardakastanis said in reference to the British physicist in a letter published on the same day.
Lazopoulos, also an actor, said his comments exclusively targeted the German minister. “I did not generalize, speak in an abstract way or use the plural,” he said.
