Advocacy Groups Protest After Márki-Zay Calls Fidesz Propagandists “Disabled”

Péter Márki-Zay called propagandists for Fidesz “disabled” (fogyatékos) in his regular Sunday livestream, which several advocacy organizations have asked him to apologize for.

I’m sorry, but if the poor Fidesz propagandists are so disabled – and ‘disabled’ isn’t the most fortunate word here because we love the disabled, but I have an real problem with the lying Fidesz propagandists. So, obviously they likely have no intellectual ability. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but in no way do I have a problem with their intellectual capabilities. The infinite vile evil – that is what characterizes this company of thieves.

-stated the opposition prime ministerial candidate.

In response to the ensuing uproar over the use of the word, Márki-Zay claimed that the pro-government media had twisted his words and taken them out of context.

444 noted that the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate tried to immediately correct himself by saying that “disabled” wasn’t “the most fortunate word,” adding that “we love the disabled.” He then attempted to connect this to the mental faculties of “Fidesz propagandists,” but realizing that this was also a poor comparison, he tried to get out of it by saying that he didn’t “have a problem with their intellectual capabilities,” but rather with their vile intent.

Following Márki-Zay’s comments, the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing sent a statement to news agency MTI stating that they, along with several other organizations, objected to Márki-Zay’s statement.

Advocacy groups say that using the word “disabled” as a negative attribute is offensive, and have been fighting for years to eliminate the pejorative meaning of the word in public discourse.

We expect zero tolerance on this. Such words cannot be relativized, or waved away as a mere slip of the tongue or hastily-worded statement.

-the groups wrote.

The National Autistic Association, the National Association of Groups for the Disabled, the Psychiatric Advocacy Forum, the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association for the Deaf-Blind, and the National Advocacy Association for the Mentally Disabled and their Helpers all called on Péter Márki-Zay to apologize for his offensive comment. [Telex]