Iraqi journalist who threw shoe at George Bush standing for parliament

The Iraqi journalist who almost a decade ago threw his shoes at then US president George W. Bush on Friday spoke about his candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Muntadhar al-Zeidi had became a folk hero in the Arab world for his act. In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt - Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam Hussein with their shoes after US Marines toppled it to the ground after the 2003 invasion. On Friday, al-Zeidi said he wanted parliament to officially ask the US "to apologise and compensate all Iraqi families affected by the occupation". Al-Zeidi also criticised Iraqi politicians who supported then US president Bush, saying their time was up too. Iraqi national elections are scheduled for 12 May.