Greek rioting prompts warning to tourists

The U.S. and other governments urged visitors to exercise caution as Greek riots entered their fourth day Dec. 9, shutting down areas of downtown Athens while the city’s airport (AHN) workers threatened a 24-hour strike at midnight tonight. But officials did not expand the travel advisories to avoiding Greece altogether.

Watch the website of the U.S. Embassy in Athens for updates. A Dec. 8 warden message posted there noted the strike plans and urged Americans to monitor news reports and avoid sites of demonstrations. The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office said Greece-bound visitors should exercise “extreme caution,” buy travel and medical insurance and expect strikes and demonstrations in December.

Anti-government protests, which began after police shot and killed an Athens teen, have been widespread, affecting Athens, Crete and other tourist destinations. In the Greek capital, hotels are among scores of buildings that have been damaged, wire services reported.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

{Photo: Greek troops patrol Athens, where some streets were closed because of protests. Credit: Aris Messinis / AFP/Getty Images]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 4:51 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Africa & Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.