Al-Zaidi Shoe Monument Demolished in Tikrit, Per Al-Maliki’s Orders

One day after its inauguration, the security forces of the Salah Al-deen governorate demolished the shoe monument by order of Al-Maliki. Tikrit police supervised the monument demolition from the orphanage.

Abdullah Jabara, Salah Al-deen’s deputy governor said: “We will not allow anyone to use government facilities and buildings for political motives”.

A huge shoe monument has been inaugurated in an orphanage in Tikrit as a tribute to Iraqi journalist Muntathar Al-Zaidi, who threw his shoe at former U.S. President George Bush during a press conference with Al-Maliki on his last visit to Baghdad on December, 2008.

Laith Al-Ameri, an Iraqi sculptor, sculpted this brown shoe with the aid of the orphans, using fiberglass wrapped with copper then mounted over a concrete base.

The monument height reaches 3.5 meters while the sculpted shoe is 2.5 meters height. It cost five thousand dollars and took fifteen days to build, opening last Thursday according to the orphanage’s director, Fatin Abdulqader Al-Naseri.

She added: “The orphans that helped Al-Ameri in building the monument are the victims of Bush’s war. This monument is a gift to the next generations, as a reminder of Al-Zaidi’s courage.” She continued: “When the next generation sees this monument, they will wonder about it, fathers will tell the story of the hero Muntathar Al-Zaidi who threw his shoe at George Bush during his unexpected farewell visit to Iraq.”

Muntathar celebrated his 30th birthday in prison on January; he is still awaiting trial. One of his brothers said that he is in a good health.

The Muntathar Al-Zaidi incident was supported in many Arabic, Islamic and international countries. Throwing a shoe has become a new protest method, especially in protest demonstrations and marches.