Both men also displayed athletic dexterity by ducking and weaving to successfully evade the flying footwear.
Iranian authorities have reportedly arrested a disgruntled, unemployed textile worker who threw his shoes at Ahmadi-nejad during a speech the president was giving Monday in Sari near the Caspian in Mazandaran province.
“One of the participants in the ceremony managed to reach the seats in the front row and threw his shoes at the president Tidbits and Morsels
A column of musings on news that might otherwise go unnoticed. while criticizing unemployment in the country,” reported Tabnak, a conservative news website.
The 45-year-old man, identified only by his first name as Rashid, was reportedly laid off from his weaving job after a year in which he was not paid by his employers.
Many laid off workers appeared at Ahmadi-nejad’s speech to protest with banners that said, “We haven’t been paid in 17 months.” News reports said the shoes did not hit Ahmadi-nejad, but struck the banner behind him. People present at the scene were said to have wrestled Rashid to the ground and beat him while shouting slogans in support of the president.
The president’s website included a photo of him speaking at the event but said nothing about the shoe-throwing incident or the protests of the unemployed.
Iranians have been contending with high unemployment for years. Published figures put the official rate in the low teens, but most economists believe the actual rate is probably above 20 percent.
News reports said the shoe thrower complained that he had not received any of the unemployment benefits he was due
since being laid off.
Ghased News said the man was once jailed for tossing eggs and tomatoes at then-President Mohammad Khatami, suggesting he was an equal opportunity attacker of presidents.
Throwing shoes is a sign of disrespect in Arab countries, but not in Iran. It appeared the Sari showman was copying the December 2008 incident in which an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at Bush during a visit to Baghdad. He also missed with both shoes.
The Iraqis reporter, Muntadhar az-Zaidi, spent nine months in jail for his shoe thrusting. It will be interesting to see how much time the Sari shoeman spends in a cell.