On December 14, 2008, the most famous protest against the U.S. invasion of Iraq took place when Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad. At the time, Al-Zaidi, who was a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia TV, considered the first shoe thrown as a "farewell kiss from the Iraqi people," and dedicated the second shoe "to the widows, orphans, and those killed by (Bush) in Iraq."
Western media, including American outlets, typically reiterated that "the Bush administration justified its decision to attack the Iraqi regime led by Saddam Hussein by claiming that the dictator was hiding (weapons of mass destruction), but such weapons were never found."
Bush, who was standing next to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at the time, was shocked but managed to dodge the first shoe while the second one missed him. He commented, "This does not represent the Iraqi people, but this is what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves."
In March 2023, 15 years after the shoe incident, CBS reported Al-Zaidi saying, "The only regret I have is that I didn’t have more than one shoe." The Iraqi journalist, regarded as a hero by many, emphasized that he did not throw his shoe in a moment of uncontrolled anger but had, in fact, been waiting for such an opportunity since the beginning of the American invasion of his country.
He noted that George W. Bush had suggested that the Iraqi people welcome the invading forces with flowers, which prompted him to "search for an appropriate response." After the incident, Al-Zaidi was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison but was later released. He explained to the American network that he was "looking for a counter-reaction to say that Iraqis do not welcome occupiers with flowers," indicating he protested in his way against what he described as the "arrogant killer."
Al-Zaidi bitterly lamented, "How can I forgive? They committed atrocities against my brother, my neighbor, and my father, and they did not even apologize, nor are they being put on trial, and they remain free!" He described his actions as "a form of shouting," an attempt to draw the world's attention to what had happened to his country, revealing he had expected to be killed while throwing his shoe at Bush, which is why he carefully chose a seat at the back of the press conference to avoid harming anyone behind him if shots were fired.
Furthermore, Al-Zaidi stressed that he would do it again if he could turn back time, stating, "Although I knew what I would go through, I would still stand up and throw my shoe at him." He humorously noted that he chose his dirtiest and oldest shoe for the famous protest.
Regarding the fate of the shoe he used against the U.S. president, Al-Zaidi indicated he was unaware of what happened to it but suspected that the Americans might have disposed of it to prevent it from becoming a symbol against them.
