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Tony Blair pelted with eggs and shoes at book signing
Sep 4, 2010, 12:45 GMT
London - Anti-war protesters pelted Tony Blair with eggs and shoes on Saturday as he attended the first signing of his memoirs in the Irish Republic.
The former British prime minister was not hit by the missiles, which were thrown at him when he arrived by car at a bookstore in the centre of Dublin.
As Blair remained in the shop and signed books for the hundreds who had queued since early morning the protest continued outside.
About 200 campaigners chanted: 'Arrest the butcher Blair' and 'Blair Blair, Bush's man and blood blood on their hands.'
Shops in the area also closed, with some, pulling down their shutters as scuffles broke out between police and protesters.
It was the first book signing since Blair's memoirs - A Journey - were released this week.
The book tells of his life in politics and has become one of the fastest selling autobiographies on record.
In it, the former premier and long-time Labour leader defended his decision to join the United States in the war against Iraq and wrote in detail about the Northern Ireland peace process.
Blair also used his memoirs to take a dig at his successor Gordon Brown.
The event in Dublin was the first of a book tour that will see him signing his memoirs in London on Wednesday.
Anti-war protesters have threatened to disrupt that event as well.
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