Reminiscent of Doody Rudy, a participatory performance piece by Joey Skaggs aimed at NYC Mayor Giuliani’s anti freedom of expression policies and his “quality of life” campaign targeted against the homeless and other unfortunates in 1999. For a $1 donation to charity, the public could toss a handful of dung at the Mayor’s portrait…
Shoe protest socks it to U.S. president
by The Canadian Press
OttawaSun.com
December 21, 2008
Montreal — Anti-war protesters held a symbolic shoe toss in front of the U.S. consulate in Montreal yesterday in support of jailed Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi.
About 40 protesters braved the cold to throw shoes at an image of U.S. President George W. Bush.
About 40 people turned out to a similar protest in Toronto.
“Today is an act of humour in a sense but it’s also a profound situation and context,” said journalist and activist Stephan Christoff.
“We’re talking about a situation where hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Iraq. It is George Bush who holds a direct responsibility for the devastating, horrific situation of occupation and imperialism in Iraq.”
Demonstrators pelted the presidential photograph with boots, shoes and slippers and denounced the U.S. war in Iraq and the NATO-led war in Afghanistan before marching to a downtown Canadian Forces recruiting station.
Iraqi-born Amar Sabih is an adjunct-professor at McGill University in Montreal and a long-time opponent to the Iraq war.
“Most Iraqis would have liked to be in (Al-Zeidi’s) shoes,” he said. “He’s a symbol for all Iraqis.”
Sabih said his family, who live in Baghdad, also support al-Zeidi’s actions.
“They liked it, they enjoyed it,” he said.
Amir Khadir, who was elected to the legislature in this month’s provincial election under the banner of the leftist party Quebec Solidaire, was one of the first to throw a shoe. He said al-Zeidi’s actions were simply an expression of rage at the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the war.
“I represent the deep sentiment of thousands of members of assemblies all over the world,” he said.
“Bush has denied democracy and lied to millions of people. He deserves no respect.”
photo: dgrubz