Canberra: Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard had two shoes hurled at him by an Iraq war protester during an appearance on ABC Australia's Q&A on Monday.
In echoes of the infamous incident in which former US president George Bush had two shoes thrown at him during a trip to Iraq in 2008, Howard came under attack as he defended Australia's involvement in the war. (Watch: Infamous shoe attacks)
After explaining that he supported the US-led invasion based on the intelligence available at the time, Mr Howard was approached by the protester who removed his shoes and threw them in his direction.
As they failed to hit their target, the man shouted words to the effect: "That is for Iraqi dead."
A female audience member then shouted: "You've got blood on your hands", before walking out of the studio.The man was led away by ABC staff.Mr Howard appeared unfazed.
"It's all right, don't worry. Forget it, forget it. Relax," he said, turning to show host Tony Jones.
An audience member then told Mr Howard "If that's all they've got to throw at you, you've got nothing to worry about".AP
