Former British PM heckled in Maine college speech
May 20, 2012, 9:38 PM
WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) – A handful of protesters briefly interrupted a Maine college graduation speech by British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for world unity.
Blair addressed more than 400 Colby College graduates and their guests Sunday morning at the school’s 191st commencement in Waterville.
Police say the protesters shouted phrases such as “warmonger” and “war criminal” during Blair’s speech. One person was arrested.
In his address, Blair appealed for international cooperation and for people to try to understand other cultures.
The 59-year-old Blair, the Labor Party’s longest-serving prime minister, served from 1997 to 2007. Since then, he has served as the envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, representing the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations in working with Palestinians to prepare for statehood.
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