Posted on 12/16/2008 6:06:15 PM PST by forkinsocket
Sadr City, 15 Dec. (AKI) - Thousands of Iraqis on Monday demanded the release of Muntazer al-Zaydi, the journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush. The protests took place in the Shia Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City and the demonstrators marched towards the headquarters of the Iraqi press syndicate, in al-Waziriya, said Iraqi news agency Voices of Iraq.
The protesters, who were reportedly made up of followers of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, also burned American flags.
Meanwhile, a statement calling for the release of al-Zaydi was issued by the Cairo-based satellite news channel al-Boghdadiya, where the journalist has worked since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
"Al-Boghdadiya channel calls for the immediate release of its correspondent al-Zaydi in line with the new era of democracy and freedom of expression the US authorities had promised the Iraqis," said a media release from the channel quoted by Voices of Iraq.
On Sunday, al-Zaydi threw his first shoe at Bush as he yelled "This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog,"
As he threw his second shoe, he said: "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." As Bush avoided the shoes, al-Zaydi was quickly wrestled to the ground by security guards.
Al-Zaydi was being held on Monday by Iraqi police and was reportedly interrogated about whether he was paid to throw his shoes at Bush. He was also being tested for alcohol and drug use.
In the Arab world, throwing your shoes or exposing the soles of your shoes is one of the worst signs of disrespect.
In a separate incident in the Iraqi city of Najaf, protesters threw their shoes at an American patrol as it passed by.
Let him go. It is OK to be vocal & weird in IRAQ too.
What bullcrap the media puts out.
CNN made it sound like thousands protested in Falluja to let this guy out.
I heard from my son in the USMC stationed there and he said there were a couple of hundred SADR supporters walking in the streets for a couple of hours.
'Nuff said.
Cool - a new easy way to recognize those with terrorist tendencies.
If they're not wearing shoes, I'm staying away from 'em.
Grab their shoes, fill them with pig guts and throw them back at the knuckledraggers. What f***ing vermin they are.
Uh...yeah, I'll make sure I do that. Because I always approach people who look like terrorists and carry pig guts with me when I'm in convoys through the city.
I'm sure that's what you would do, right?
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