The world awaits Sunday with bated breath as Greece is set to hold the historic bailout referendum in recent attempts to save its economy from going under. In the meantime, chaos breaks in Athens and several key cities, as riots erupted due to an increasing public panic.
The chaos was driven by food shortage and fears that medicines are running out, The Sun reported. In previous days, business has already grounded to a halt while financial institutions impose restrictions to bank withdrawals and in the release of welfare funds. This was further aggravated by a report that by Monday, cash from banks will run out, according to The Telegraph.
As Greece teeters to the edge, fresh accounts coming from Athens provide a chilling glimpse on what is actually happening now in the country. A shopkeeper described the situation: "on day one, panic buying; day two, less buying; day three, terror; day four, frozen," The Guardian reported.
Several statements from the government recently emerged amidst fear and anxiety among the public. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was quoted as saying that the position and actions of Greece's creditors are tantamount to terrorism as they instill fear in people, BBC News reported. Varoufakis is lamenting how the "troika" of its creditors, namely, the Eurozone, the IMF and the European Central Bank, has forced the country to close banks.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared that Europe is trying to humiliate Greece into submission. The fresh round of rhetoric appears to be directed towards swaying the public to vote "no" in the referendum rather than a concerted move to address the new wave of violence and panic that rocked the capital and several Greek cities.
The opposing side is still not convinced. In a huge rally supporting the yes vote in the coming referendum, many Greeks are questioning the ability of the Tsipras government to address the economic crisis. "They cannot pretend any longer that it's not about leaving the euro... and outside the euro lies only misery," said Nikos, a doctor, BBC News reported.
Martin Schultz, the president of the European Parliament, explained that "if the Greek government has no more money, because the reform plans of the partners have been previously rejected in the referendum... salaries can not be paid out, the health care system does not work [including] the power supply and the public transport," according to The Telegraph.
