Shoes and politics: Moments in history

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A man prepares to beat the statue of Ahmed Hassan Bakr, former Iraq president and Baath party member, after the figure was toppled in May 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq. Striking someone or something with a shoe is an act of great disrespect in Iraq.

Statue of Ahmed Hassan Bakr

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

A man prepares to beat the statue of Ahmed Hassan Bakr, former Iraq president and Baath party member, after the figure was toppled in May 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq. Striking someone or something with a shoe is an act of great disrespect in Iraq.