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Authors including Iain Banks, AL Kennedy and John Pilger have written to the Guardian urging Waterstone's to reconsider hosting its signing event for Tony Blair next month. "Waterstone's will seriously harm its own reputation as a respectable bookseller by helping him promote his book," the letter states.
The signing has dominated the national press since The Bookseller revealed details of the high-security event last week, where Blair will sign his memoir A Journey. Members of the Stop the War Coalition, who have also signed this letter, are to protest at the signing. Blair has since announced he will donate all proceeds, including the advance, to a British Legion charity that helps the rehabilitation of injured servicemen. Both AL Kennedy and John Pilger have been published by Random House, Blair's publisher.
The letter continues: "We believe this event will be deeply offensive to most people in Britain. The large majority of the British public say Mr Blair told lies and fabricated evidence to take Britain into a war with Iraq that he knew to be illegal under international law. According to a recent poll, 25% believe Mr Blair should be indicted for war crimes."
The letter's signees in full are Iain Banks, AL Kennedy, Moazzam Begg, Andrew Burgin, Ben Griffin, Lindsey German, Dr Felicity Arbuthnot, Tanya Tier, John Pilger, Michael Nyman and Andrew Murray. Blair's decision to give all proceeds from the book to charity continues to dominate the press with other broadsheets featuring letters about the donation—many of them critical.
Waterstone's declined to comment on the letter.