Thessaloniki’s outspoken mayor apparently revved up his “outspokenness” this week, as he was quoted in an interview by the German weekly Die Zeit as calling members of the leftist SYRIZA government “stupid”.

Political maverick Yiannis Boutaris, however, denied the press report, saying he used the word “crazy”, not “stupid”.

Nevertheless, another of Greece’s outspoken politicians, former conservative minister Adonis Georgiadis quickly picked up on the queue, Tweeting on Tuesday:

“Boutaris (a) God: ‘I said they were crazy not stupid’ they’re stupid too, Mayor don’t be ashamed (of it)…”

“I said they (SYRIZA government) were crazy, and I’m not ashamed to say that. They are crazy for the way in which they’re managing things. I didn’t say, however, that I hate them. I don’t know what happened with the translation from English to German and then Greek”.