Tony Blair pelted with eggs and shoes at book signing

 

Tony Blair's first signing of his memoirs in Dublin descends into violence as anti-war protesters clash with Gardai. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Violence has broken out at the
first public signing for Tony Blair's memoirs, with anti-war protesters hurling shoes and eggs at the former prime minister.
The projectiles did not hit Blair as he arrived at a bookshop in Dublin, Ireland, to be greeted by scores of demonstrators chanting that he was a "war criminal" and had "blood on his hands" because of the invasion of Iraq.
Irish police blocked off streets around the Eason store on O'Connell Street following the clashes with activists who tried to push down a security barrier.
The demonstrators also shouted: "Hey hey Tony hey, how many kids have you killed today?"
The city tram service was suspended and shops in the surrounding area also closed.
Buyers at the signing had to hand over bags and mobile phones before entering the store. Undercover detectives mingled with the crowds taking names before Blair arrived at the shop at about 10.30am.
In his memoirs, A Journey, Blair defends his decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003. The book, which was released earlier this week, has become one of the fastest selling autobiographies on record.
The protests came as the BBC World Service aired an interview with Blair in which he said "wicked and backward-looking" radical Islam was the greatest threat to global security.
Blair gave his first live television interview since his memoirs were published to Irish state broadcaster RTE last night.
He tried to convince the audience that he acted against the one million people who marched in opposition to the war in Iraq in 2003 because he simply couldn't take decisions "based on those that shout most".
The former prime minister, who was greeted by about 50 protesters at the RTE studios, also denied he had "blood on his hands" and said he didn't believe he was a "war criminal", showing a flash of exasperation when asked to explain why people thought that he was.
It is believed Blair chose Ireland for his only live interview since his memoirs' publication because he felt he would get a better hearing because of the peace he secured in Northern Ireland.
He said: "When we finally got the whole lot together, literally weeks before I left office in 2007, and there was Martin McGuinness sitting with Ian Paisley, and it was such a strange and extraordinary sight and it was one of the few times in politics I felt really proud actually."