By Simon Shepherd
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Auckland briefly today, but unless you had shelled out $500 to hear him speak you would not have known.
Anti-war protestors, chanting “blood, blood, blood on your hands”, were kept away as he came and left from a side entrance at Eden Park.
They called him a war criminal and symbolically tried to bring Blair to justice with a card saying “we have a warrant for the arrest of Antony Charles Lynton Blair". But the protestors were denied by a wall of police.
Protestor John Minto, for the Global Peace and Justice network, says today was “the New Zealand state protecting a war criminal”.
“These people should be going in and arresting the man,” says Mr Minto.
Those who turned up to hear Blair speak were heckled.
But the hundreds who paid between $500-1500 were not deterred.
“I don’t necessarily agree with his policies but he has a position and as leader you have to make some hard calls,” said one businessman.
Former Waitakere mayor Bob Harvey says “after some very interesting accusations” he wanted to know “how he has weathered the storm”.
Inside Eden Park, Blair shared his view of world problems.
But he said little about backing the US invasion of Iraq – despite the ongoing protests outside, which were monitored by a beefed up security operation.
The protestors left before the end, but the guests were more impressed.
Blair himself progressed forward via the side entrance, to a waiting private jet and his next audience tonight in Brisbane.
3 News