Protestor throws shoe at Turkish PM

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
SEVILLE: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been attending bilateral talks with Spain, became the target of a shoe-throwing attack on Monday night in the city of Seville.

Erdogan had been attending a ceremony where he was awarded by the NODO Foundation for his "contribution to the development of intercultural relations".

On leaving the venue, the local mayoral residence, the Turkish Prime Minister was approached by an unidentified man shouting: "Long live an independent Kurdistan!"

The man then threw a shoe at Erdogan, which missed its target, hitting a nearby car instead.

The assailant was promptly arrested. He is reported to be a Syrian national living illegally in Spain, and, as such, now faces the prospect of deportation.

In many Muslim countries, to throw a shoe at a person is considered a gesture of contempt and hatred.

The political precedent for this type of protest was set by the Iraqi journalist, Muntazer al-Zajdi, who on December 14, 2008 threw both his shoes at the then US President, George W. Bush during a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

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