Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has canceled a book signing in London this week over fears of a large turnout from antiwar protesters. Peace groups had vowed to protest Blair as he signed copies of his new memoir at a major London bookstore. Blair has continued to defend the 2003 US-British invasion of Iraq as justified. The cancellation comes just days after three people were arrested for throwing eggs and shoes at Blair as he arrived for a book event in Dublin. Richard Boyd-Barrett of the Irish Anti-War Movement said Blair should be held to account for the consequences of his policies.
Richard Boyd-Barrett: “We’re here to give voice to the victims of Blair’s policies and his wars — the countless tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis who’ve died as a result of the wars he launched and the lies that he told to the world, and indeed the Palestinian people, who continue to suffer at the hands of Israel, where Tony Blair, as the UN Middle East envoy, does nothing to restrain or sanction Israel, in fact gives cover to Israel for its actions.”
Peace activists have attempted to disrupt Blair’s book sales with a guerrilla campaign to move copies of his memoir into the “Crime” section of stores where it’s sold. Former President George W. Bush’s memoirs come out in November.