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Fidias Panayiotou, a YouTube prankster, has defied political conventions by winning a seat in the European Parliament for Cyprus.
Fidias Panayiotou has previously defined himself as a “professional mistake maker,” and his online stunts include attempting to hug 100 celebrities, including Elon Musk, and spending a week in a coffin. Despite having no previous experience in politics, the 24-year-old received the third-highest percentage of votes (19.4%).
In 2023, Fidias was compelled to apologize after sparking controversy in Japan. He shared a YouTube video in which he avoided paying train fares and a five-star hotel breakfast bill. The video, which has received millions of views, shows him traveling throughout Japan on the iconic bullet train while avoiding fares by hiding in toilets and pretending to be ill.
However, in June 2024, he celebrated his victory with a rally at Eleftheria Square in the island’s capital, Nicosia, where he stated:
“It was a shock what happened, a miracle. The parties should take it as a warning that they must modernise and listen to the people. We are writing history. Not just in Cyprus, but internationally.”
In an appearance on Cypriot TV, Alpha Cyprus, where he wore shoes, shorts, a suit jacket, and three neckties, he admitted that he had never voted, knew little about politics and the EU, but could no longer tolerate the continued reign of “nerds” in Brussels. When Fidias Panayiotou filed his candidacy in April, he stated that his goal was not to be elected but rather to encourage young people to become active in politics.
Fidias Panayiotou’s Relationship With Elon Musk
For months, Panayiotou, a 22-year-old influencer and Musk devotee, stood in front of the former Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, hoping to hug the CEO. In January 2023, Fidias Panayiotou sobbed with delight during his meeting with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. The two then exchanged an awkward hug. Fidias said to Elon:
“You say things very simple, but you are this kind of weird guy.”
In December 2024, Elon Musk shared a video on X of Fidias in the European Parliament. He was arguing that it was time to quit assisting Ukraine in its resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2024
In one of his signature close-ups to the camera, the passionate YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou said it was “cr*zy and inhumane” of European politicians to continue supporting Kyiv when it would never prevail on the battlefield. Additionally, Elon Musk has publicly condemned the military involvement of the United States in Ukraine and has maintained contact with Putin since late 2022.
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