OMG, Shoes

OMG, shoes. Thousands of Iraqis have gathered in Baghdad to protest the arrest of the local journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush during a press conference there.

Crowds gathered in Baghdad's Sadr City district, calling for "hero" Muntadar al-Zaidi to be freed from custody. There were similar scenes in Najaf. Officials at the Iraqi-owned TV station, al-Baghdadiya, also called for the release of their journalist. Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful. A statement released by the government said Mr Zaidi's actions, which also included him shouting insults at President Bush, "harmed the reputation of Iraqi journalists and Iraqi journalism in general". The government has demanded an on-air apology from his employer. An Iraqi official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the journalist was being interrogated to determine whether anybody paid him to throw his shoes at President Bush.

Throwing shoes is considered a tremendous insult in many Arab countries. Five years ago hundreds of shoes were thrown at statues of Saddam Hussein as American forces took over the nation.