Tony Blair's bodyguards had to rush to protect him today when a protester calling him a terrorist assailed the former prime minister in a Palestinian mosque. Mr Blair, now the Middle East envoy, was on an official trip to the West Bank city of Hebron when the man verbally attacked him. His bodyguards backed the man into a corner and tried to keep him quiet as he shouted 'You're a terrorist' at Mr Blair. Verbal attack: The man, who is clutching a bag in his left hand, raises his right arm as he shouts towards Tony Blair in the Hebron mosque today Still shouting, the man raises his bag as he struggles with guards, who quickly surrounded him The guards push the shouting man backwards before eventually pinning him up against the wall behind him Pacifier: As the man was pinned against the wall, the cameras swung back towards Mr Blair, centre, who gave a tight grin and a brief wave before carrying on with the tour 'He is not welcome in the land of Palestine', the struggling man, who was carrying a bag, added. Mr Blair gave a tight-lipped smile and a pacifying wave in the general direction of the shouting man. 'You know, he made his protest and that's fair enough,' he told reporters once the man was removed from the mosque. 'I think it's important for you guys as well to not always mistake the protest for the general view of the whole population,' he added. Most Palestinians and Israelis want the conflict 'resolved in a peaceful way', he said. Mr Blair, right, continued the tour through the mosque in Hebron today They understand 'it's not going to be resolved unless we find a way of creating two states, a state of Israel and a state of Palestine side by side in peace.' 'Frankly it's not protests that will do that. It's patient negotiation,' he told reporters. The heckling comes just days after Mr Blair was blasted to his face as a 'war criminal' by a grieving father whose son was killed in Iraq. Tony Blair offered his hand to Peter Brierley during a reception following a service 'Don't you dare,' roared Mr Brierley. 'You have my son's blood on your hands.' Three of Mr Blair's bodyguards sprang into action, ushering away the visibly shocked former PM, who had earlier been criticised during the service by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 'You've got blood on your hands': Peter Brierley, left, also verbally attacked Mr Blair over the death of his son Shaun, right, who was killed while fighting in Iraq But 59-year-old Mr Brierley, whose son Shaun died in the run-up to Iraq, was not finished. He told the Daily Mail: 'As far as I am concerned that man is a war criminal. I can't 'I sat through that service listening to people preaching to me about tolerance but 'But I believe he's got the blood of my son - and all of the other men and women who Mr Blair, 56, is hated by many Arabs for supporting the 2003 invasion of Iraq, for declining to speak out against Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah and for what they perceive as his bias in favour of Israel when he was prime minister. He is now envoy to for 'Quartet' of powers on the Middle East: the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations. He is expected to become the new president of the European Union as the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by all European states. Only the Czech Republic has not yet ratified the treaty.'You're a terrorist': Tony Blair taunted by young Palestinian in West Bank mosque
Last updated at 5:31 PM on 20th October 2009
at St Paul's to commemorate the dead of the Iraq war on October 10.
bear to be in the same room as him. I cannot believe he's been allowed to come to
this reception .
I don't think anyone should be forced to tolerate being in same room as him. He has
made £14million on the back of taking us to war and they are now talking about making him president of the EU.
died in that war - on his hands.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1221723/Tony-Blair-assailed-protester-yelling-Youre-terrorist-Palestinian-mosque.html#ixzz0UVQvdcIo
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Enlarge
Posts
