Yesterday I wrote about George Bush' agility when confronted with a pair of size-10 shoes, hurled at him by Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt. It appears al-Zeidi is now a hero in Iraq.
Thousands took to the streets in Iraq, demanding his release. At the same time the official response of the Iraq government was to brand the act as "shameful."
Yesterday at Bush's surprise ress conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, al-Zeidi jumped up and announced "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" as he threw his first show, then added "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" as he threw the second.
The sole of the shoe is considered a severe insult in Arab cultures.
The Iraq government demanded an apology from TV station, Al-Baghdadia, but instead the station issued a statement demanding Zaidi's release "in line with the democracy and freedom of expression that the American authorities promised the Iraqi people."
"Any measures against Muntazer will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime," it added.
In Sadr City, thousands of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burned American flags and called for the release of al-Zeidi, chanting "Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head."
Additionally, in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, protesters threw their shoes at an American patrol as it passed. Fortunately for them they were soldiers and not Blackwater mercenaries; the soldiers did not respond and simply continued on their patrol.
Zeidi faces a minimum of two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state, an Iraqi lawyer told AFP.
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