the shoe era
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2/2/2009 11:28 pm |
February 03, 2009 By Badrya Darwish What's this new trend? Shoe throwing at news conferences? A year ago we had never heard of such acts till the Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi in December threw both his shoes at former US President George Bush during a press conference with Nouri Al Maliki while Bush was on his farewell tour of the region. What a farewell he got in Iraq! And less than a month ago, an MP in the Egyptian parliament threw his shoe during a heated debate at a colleague. And then yesterday, a protester threw his shoe at the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao while he was giving a speech at Cambridge University in the UK. The Chinese PM was lucky, as the shoe landed a meter away and failed to reach him. Unlike the one which sailed right over Bush's head. The shoe has become a sign of protest, even during demonstrations. A extremist Kuwaiti MP Walid Tabtabae waved his shoes during a protest for Gaza in front of the National Assembly. The funniest part is that many people are offering money - and handsome amounts - for these shoes. Someone offered $10 million for Al-Zaidi's shoes and KD 10,000 for Tabtabae's. No money was offered for the Egyptian parliamentarian's shoes. But don't get overexcited guys, thinking that throwing shoes can get you money. It could be the contrary, you could get a bullet from a bodyguard instead. We have yet to see more shoes flying in conference halls. I think there will come a time when shoes will be banned from everywhere. You can't wear them to hear a speech, to attend a hall conference or a press event or whatever. You're always afraid that someone might throw a shoe in the air. Leave alone the headache of taking off your shoes at airports and passing them through the scanners. All because one weirdo from France who got on a plane to the US and tried to start a fire and snuck matches in his shoes. Damn him. We all suffer from his stupid act. A friend told me, if she ever meets this guy, she will slap him with her - guess what? - shoe. So I guess we're in the shoe century.  
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2/3/2009 2:58 am |
British police said Monday they have charged a protester who hurled a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he gave a speech at Britain's Cambridge University. "Following an incident in the auditorium during the premier's speech earlier today, a man has been charged with a public order offence,'' a police spokeswoman said. "The 27-year-old man has been charged with section four of the Public Order Act and will appear at Cambridge magistrates court on Tuesday, February 10.'' In a clear echo of the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at George W. Bush in Baghdad in December, the Caucasian man shouted "This is a scandal'' as he interrupted Wen's speech from the back of the auditorium. "This dictator here, how can you listen to the lies he's telling? You are not challenging him,'' he said before blowing a whistle and hurling the sports trainer at Wen, who had been discussing China's role in the globalised world. The shoe landed about a yard from the Chinese premier, bringing a dramatic end to his five-nation tour of Europe. Wen glanced sharply to one side to watch it hit the stage, but did not appear frightened. A security man kicked the shoe off the stage. As the protester was bundled out, he shouted to audience members: "Stand up and protest,'' to which some of the spectators -- most of whom appeared to be Chinese students -- retorted: "Shame on you, shame on you.'' After the interruption, Wen reproached the demonstrator. "This despicable behaviour cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK,'' he said, receiving a round of applause from the audience. The incident echoed the protest by Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi against then-US president Bush on December 14, which won him global fame. Cambridge police said the man, who appeared to have a non-English, European accent, surrendered peacefully after the protest. A spokeswoman confirmed his age but gave no information on his nationality. The protest came after Wen gave a largely anodyne speech in Cambridge, southeastern England, in front of about 500 people in a concert hall. Security was tight around the venue, and outside about 200 demonstrators, apparently mostly pro-Chinese, were kept at bay in two pens on the pavement. Before the event began supporters waved red Chinese flags, while some banged drums and there was a colourful paper dragon - although one banner from a protester said: "Remember Tiananmen.'' Earlier, Wen held talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London where he promised to join urgent and coordinated action to avert a global economic disaster. Wen's first trip to Britain since 2006 marked the end of a high-profile visit to Europe that has taken him to Germany, Spain, the EU headquarters in Brussels and the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. But the tour has been clouded by pro-Tibetan protests which regularly target trips by Chinese leaders. China is particularly sensitive about Tibet questions ahead of the 50th anniversary of the March 1959 uprising that led to the escape of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama into exile. In London, some 50 pro-Tibetan and 100 pro-Chinese demonstrators gathered outside Brown's Downing Street office for rival protests to coincide with Wen's visit there. Five pro-Tibetan activists had been arrested in a protest Sunday. Chinese state television CCTV broadcast Wen's speech in Cambridge but abruptly cut away from the coverage when the protest happened. A proctor, who is responsible for discipline at the university, told AFP: "When he stood up and started making his protest, the proctors asked him to stop shouting and sit down. "He continued, took off a shoe and then threw it towards the stage. The constables (university police) got to him and took him out. The shouting was legitimate protest but throwing a shoe is something different.'' University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alison Richard said: "I deeply regret that a single member of the audience this afternoon failed to show the respect for our speaker that is customary at Cambridge. "This university is a place for considered argument and debate, not for shoe-throwing.''
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2/3/2009 8:06 pm |
the common practice these days flying shoes....then you will end up to jail or police pistol. oh guys think it before doing otherwise your life becoming miserably.     Ana
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2/5/2009 4:17 am |
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2/6/2009 1:40 pm |
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2/6/2009 1:43 pm |
throwing shoes simply childish act! these days....
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2/6/2009 1:46 pm |
a display of a barbaric act.
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