Muntazer al-Zaidi — who became a national hero in Iraq after hurling his footwear at the then US president last year — was speaking at a press conference to promote his campaign for victims of the Iraq war when a man threw a shoe at him.

Zaidi ducked and the shoe hit the wall behind him. Film footage showed that a scuffle then broke out in the audience. “He stole my technique,” Zaidi said afterwards.

French reports said the attacker was an exiled Iraqi journalist who spoke in defence of US policy and accused Zaidi of siding with a dictatorship.

Zaidi’s brother, Maithan, then chased the attacker and threw a shoe at him as he left the room. Showing the soles of shoes to someone is a sign of contempt in Arab culture. Last year, millions saw images of Zaidi shouting: “This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,” during a Bush news conference, before throwing his shoes at the former president.

The Guardian