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| Yanis Varoufakis accuses creditors of terrorism ahead of Greek referendum | Yanis Varoufakis accuses creditors of terrorism ahead of Greek referendum |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, has accused the country’s creditors of terrorism, in an interview published on Saturday. | Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, has accused the country’s creditors of terrorism, in an interview published on Saturday. |
| “What they’re doing with Greece has a name: terrorism,” Varoufakis told Spain’s El Mundo. “What Brussels and the troika want today is for the yes [vote] to win so they could humiliate the Greeks. Why did they force us to close the banks? To instil fear in people. And spreading fear is called terrorism.” | “What they’re doing with Greece has a name: terrorism,” Varoufakis told Spain’s El Mundo. “What Brussels and the troika want today is for the yes [vote] to win so they could humiliate the Greeks. Why did they force us to close the banks? To instil fear in people. And spreading fear is called terrorism.” |
| Related: Greek debt crisis: Yanis Varoufakis accuses Europe of terrorism - live | Related: Greek debt crisis: Yanis Varoufakis accuses Europe of terrorism - live |
| The escalation of his rhetoric comes as Greece prepares to vote on Sunday in the referendum that could decide the country’s continued membership of the eurozone. | The escalation of his rhetoric comes as Greece prepares to vote on Sunday in the referendum that could decide the country’s continued membership of the eurozone. |
| The Greek economy is on the brink of collapse after the capital controls imposed before the referendum left the country with shortages of food and drugs, the tourist industry facing a wave of cancellations and banks with barely enough money to survive the weekend. | The Greek economy is on the brink of collapse after the capital controls imposed before the referendum left the country with shortages of food and drugs, the tourist industry facing a wave of cancellations and banks with barely enough money to survive the weekend. |
| Holding political rallies and publishing new opinion polls are banned 24 hours before the vote, the result of which remains too close to call. | Holding political rallies and publishing new opinion polls are banned 24 hours before the vote, the result of which remains too close to call. |
| Polls have narrowed in recent days after warnings from the European commission and Greece’s eurozone partners that a no vote would lead to Greece’s ejection from the single currency. | Polls have narrowed in recent days after warnings from the European commission and Greece’s eurozone partners that a no vote would lead to Greece’s ejection from the single currency. |
| A GPO poll put the yes voters on 44.1% and no on 43.7%, while an Alco survey found 44.5% would vote yes, with 43.9% intending to vote no. | A GPO poll put the yes voters on 44.1% and no on 43.7%, while an Alco survey found 44.5% would vote yes, with 43.9% intending to vote no. |
| Many voters have switched to the yes camp since capital controls were imposed this week limiting daily cash machine withdrawals to just €60. Greeks queued once again on Saturday morning to make withdrawals as fears mounted about the state of the country’s economy. | Many voters have switched to the yes camp since capital controls were imposed this week limiting daily cash machine withdrawals to just €60. Greeks queued once again on Saturday morning to make withdrawals as fears mounted about the state of the country’s economy. |
| Related: Greek economy close to collapse as food and medicine run short | Related: Greek economy close to collapse as food and medicine run short |
| Banks said they had a €1bn cash buffer to see them through the weekend – equal to just €90 (£64) a head for Greece’s 11 million people. However, they will need immediate help from the European Central Bank on Monday whatever the result of the referendum. | Banks said they had a €1bn cash buffer to see them through the weekend – equal to just €90 (£64) a head for Greece’s 11 million people. However, they will need immediate help from the European Central Bank on Monday whatever the result of the referendum. |
| Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, was given a rapturous reception at a rally in Syntagma Square on Friday night, but the survival of his Syriza-led government is in doubt if Greeks vote yes. | Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, was given a rapturous reception at a rally in Syntagma Square on Friday night, but the survival of his Syriza-led government is in doubt if Greeks vote yes. |
| Political analyst George Sefertzis said: “A no win would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Greek government. You can’t survive on Pyrrhic victories because you need funds to keep the country running.” | Political analyst George Sefertzis said: “A no win would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Greek government. You can’t survive on Pyrrhic victories because you need funds to keep the country running.” |
| Varoufakis, who has promised to resign if Greeks vote no on Sunday, also denied a Financial Times report suggesting that Greek savers could lose 30% of any savings above €8,000. Such a move would be intended to shore up the country’s banking system. It would be similar to what happened in Cyprus in 2013, when savers with more than €100,000 in uninsured accounts had a “haircut” imposed. | |
| Louka Katseli, the head of Greece’s banking association, said the report was completely baseless and that the idea belonged “only in the sphere of fantasy”. | |
| Varoufakis has said that banks will reopen on Tuesday if a new deal is agreed quickly. However, some doubt that will be possible. | Varoufakis has said that banks will reopen on Tuesday if a new deal is agreed quickly. However, some doubt that will be possible. |
| Lena Antoniou, who is 35 and has two children, said: “I’ve heard shops are running out of flour, sugar and salt. I’m really worried – how will we manage if we can’t get to our money and there’s no food to buy?” | Lena Antoniou, who is 35 and has two children, said: “I’ve heard shops are running out of flour, sugar and salt. I’m really worried – how will we manage if we can’t get to our money and there’s no food to buy?” |
| Pensioners, many of whom do not have debit cards, have been hit particularly hard by the bank closures. They have been allowed to make just one over-the-counter withdrawal of €120 this week. | Pensioners, many of whom do not have debit cards, have been hit particularly hard by the bank closures. They have been allowed to make just one over-the-counter withdrawal of €120 this week. |