A day before a nationwide vote in Greece that could decide the country’s future in the eurozone and European Union, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis accused Greece’s creditors of terrorism, BBC reports.
“Why did they force us to close the banks? To instil fear in people. And spreading fear is called terrorism,” Varoufakis said.
Greece’s primary creditors, known as the “troika,” consist of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU.
Banks have been closed all week in Greece, and Greeks are limited to withdrawing 60 euros a day from ATMs. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced the capital controls last weekend, doing so shortly after Varoufakis tweeted that the government opposed them.
Earlier this year, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos threatened to flood Europe with jihadists if the EU did not give Greece what it wanted in bailout negotiations.
Greece’s bailout expired on Tuesday, and the EU is currently refusing to negotiate a new financial relief package. EU leaders say a Greek vote against the EU’s latest bailout offer is a vote to leave the eurozone.