Brits in Greece Warned of Evacuation

British citizens on holiday or living in Greece have been encouraged to register with the local consulate so officials can contact them easily if the unrest in the country gets worse and an evacuation is needed. Foreign Secretary William Hague has given nationals a reminder of how important it is to let the government know where they will be so they can be found if there’s an emergency.

The warning comes as Hague admitted that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has drawn up a contingency plan for if the civil unrest in Greece gets worse and puts Brits at risk. Hague says that they regularly keep the contingency plans up to date. Strikes and demonstration have been commonplace in the country for months while the government and Europe negotiate rescue and austerity measures to keep the nation from defaulting on its loans and leaving the euro.

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt also called on British nationals in Greece to register with the local consulate so they could be found in case of an emergency. No UK citizens who are there right now are unaware of what’s going on, so they have systems in place if the worst case scenario happens, he added. The nearest consulate can be found through the FCO website.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) chairman Derek Moore, however, says that their specialist holiday firms are unanimously reporting no problem in Greece – for the exception of two very small, highly-contained spots around Syntagma Square and in central Thessaloniki. This isn’t anything new and the exact same situation as the last three years. Few holidaymakers fly into Thessaloniki or Athens, so claiming that Brits visiting or living in Greece may need to be evacuated is “ridiculous”. The riots in London, Birmingham and Manchester last August were on a much larger scale than what’s going on in Greece.

Moore added that British holidaymakers should be encouraged to travel to Greece to help it recover, as tourism is one of the few industries with any potential growth for the nation and offers Greeks their best shot at exiting the current financial trouble. About 2.3 million Brits visit the country every year.

Over the weekend, violent protests in Greece worsened as ministers of the eurozone got ready to sign another £108 billion bailout package. Riot police clashed with 3,000 demonstrators on Sunday night in Athens as the prime minister, Lucas Papademos, travelled to Brussels to seal the bailout deal. Authorities shielded the national assembly as protesters gathered in the central Syntagma Square.

Experts don’t think the new bailout package will resolve the economic issues in Greece, which could take up to ten years to tackle. European Commission officials insist the goal of the bailout is to keep Greece in the euro. Meanwhile, there is skepticism in some other European countries that Greece will be able to live up to its commitments. This includes the implementation of €3.3 billion in spending cuts and tax hikes.

There’s also a bad feeling in general in the country, following Germany proposing a ban on receiving cash unless the nation delays its general election, which is set for April. The German government fears a new government will refuse to impose the new austerity measures, which would result in renewed fury in Greece. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has dismissed there are splits in her government. However, Hague warns that there wouldn’t be a straightforward solution to Greece deciding to quit the eurozone. He says the Greek government would have to be ready to restore controls at its borders to prevent euros from being flown from the country, as the nation’s old currency isn’t readily available to be distributed.