A new round of public tension has erupted between singer Vasilis Paifteris and Afroditi Latinopoulou, president of the far-right party Voice of Reason. Paifteris stands by his controversial remarks—and refuses to apologize. Latinopoulou has filed a criminal complaint against him, but Paifteris remains unmoved, telling her on air that he will only say “sorry” if she first apologizes to the entire Greek people.
“I Won’t Apologize”
Speaking on ANT1 on Thursday, 25 June 2026, Paifteris addressed backlash over his earlier comments describing Latinopoulou’s appearance as “Gypsy beauty,” and his claim that her mother once bought a rug from a Roma man and failed to pay him. “For a few seconds, she felt like a Gypsy—and it upset her,” he said. “But what are we supposed to say? She’s spent years calling Roma ‘illegal’ and ‘criminal.’”
He dismissed the legal action against him, saying: “Let her file her complaint—I won’t file one against her. Let’s end this here. Taking it further isn’t healthy.” When asked whether he’d consider apologizing, he was unequivocal: “I won’t say ‘sorry’—unless she says ‘sorry’ to the whole Greek people first.”
A Visit to a Roma Settlement
Paifteris invited Latinopoulou to visit a Roma settlement, urging her to witness living conditions firsthand. “She should go see how these people live. Is she afraid? I’ll take her myself,” he said. He added that she’d face no hostility if she went alone: “No one would bother her. They think she’s one of us—we voted for her, all of us.”
Coffee and Reconciliation?
Despite the sharp rhetoric, Paifteris left the door open for dialogue—extending an unexpected olive branch. “Let’s meet for coffee and sort everything out. We don’t hold grudges,” he said, adding: “If she comes and apologizes, we’ll welcome her with open arms. We’ll even get her into Parliament. There are 700,000 of us—we’ll all vote for her together.”
He reiterated that he finds Latinopoulou “stunning,” praising what he called her “Roma beauty,” and said it would be “a great honor and joy” to feature her in one of his music videos.