Blair cancels London book signing over protest concerns

London, England (CNN) -- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has canceled a central London book-signing event for his new autobiography over concerns of the "inevitable hassle" that will be caused by protesters, his office said in a statement Monday. Blair's decision came after police made some arrests Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, where he attended another signing event for his book, titled "A Journey." A crowd of people, some of them anti-war demonstrators, had gathered outside the shop to protest Blair's role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there were unconfirmed reports of eggs and shoes being thrown at Blair.

"I very much enjoyed meeting my readers in Dublin and was looking forward to doing the same in London," Blair said in the statement Monday. "However, I have decided not to go ahead with the signing as I don't want the public to be inconvenienced by the inevitable hassle caused by protesters.

The Guardian: Tony Blair scrapped London book signing to avoid protest 'hassle'