Members of the organisation "Zero Tolerance," a movement for the emancipation of disabled people, protested today, 12 March, outside the building of SKAI TV in response to an unacceptable ableist remark made by journalist Dimitris Oikonomou during his live TV broadcast. He stated that "it might be better to be dead than to be confined to a wheelchair all day long."
The journalist made the following blatantly ableist statement live on SKAI TV, a prominent television station in Greece with a wide national audience:
“Apart from the dead, dozens or even hundreds of disabled people will spend their lives in a wheelchair. Imagine yourself in a wheelchair—it might be better to be dead than to be confined to a wheelchair all day long. Captive. I say this with great love for these people and with great respect.”
His colleague, journalist Akis Pavlopoulos, agreed, also referring to disabled people as being in a state of “captivity.”
The remark sparked outrage on social media, with numerous users condemning it. The Disabled People’s Emancipation Movement “Zero Tolerance” also filed a formal complaint to the Greek National Council for Radio and Television, stating:
“On 10 March 2025, through the broadcasting frequency of SKAI TV, journalists Dimitris Oikonomou and Akis Pavlopoulos, during the morning show ‘Today’ at approximately 06:26 a.m., engaged in a conversation that, in our view, constitutes a blatant insult to disabled people and promotes dangerous, inhumane, and ableist views.”
The organisation emphasised that the discussion between the journalists “was not a mere slip of the tongue nor was it made in a private setting. On the contrary, it was broadcast publicly by two experienced journalists on a national television channel during a high-viewership morning news programme.”
Zero Tolerance also drew attention to the historical origins of such views, stating:
“Depictions and messages portraying disabled people as ‘unworthy of life’ were central to the eugenics programmes in Nazi Germany, starting with forced sterilisation policies in 1933 and later leading to euthanasia practices targeting those deemed ‘unfit for life.’ The Aktion T-4 euthanasia programme ultimately claimed the lives of over 300,000 disabled individuals.”
“If this seems like a distant past, we must stress that in recent court cases, we have had to challenge the extreme ableist positions of the criminal organisation ‘Golden Dawn’ regarding disabled people.”
The Disabled People’s Emancipation Movement “ZERO TOLERANCE” urges the Greek National Council for Radio and Television and SKAI TV to take immediate action, including:
- Suspending journalists Dimitris Oikonomou and Akis Pavlopoulos from the “Today” program for a reasonable period.
- A public and sincere apology from both journalists for their unacceptable and dangerous statements.
- Ensuring SKAI TV provides airtime to disabled activists and Disability Studies scholars to highlight the realities of disabled individuals and promote equality, rights, and dignity.
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