The example that comes to mind for many people is the journalist who threw his shoes at George W Bush during a press briefing. My lay take is that the patriot act made the security for US federal politicians much higher compared to past and shoes became sort of the only ”throwable” object protestors can easily get past security. I’m curious about older historical instances/instances in other countries of shoe throwing or throwing objects at politicians as forms of protest, and whether the things thrown has evolved over time.
This question may also receive useful answers at /r/Askanthropology.
Many cultures regard shoes as profane. By throwing a shoe at President Bush, the man was showing his contempt. In a similar way, when people in Bagdad toppled the statue of Hussain, many of them then pounded the image with their shoes. This is echoed by the Islamic practice of removing one's shoes before entering a temple. Many cultures regard it as an insult to sleep with one's shoes pointed in the direction of Mecca. The soles of shoes are often seen as foul.
This concept is foreign to much of the English speaking world: many European cultures regard a shoe as something that can speak to good fortune: shoes were traditionally tied to the vehicle carrying a newlywed couple in an effort to grant them good fortune. Someone leaving on a trip often had friends throw an old shoe after them for the same purpose. In addition, it was common to hide an old shoe in the wall of a new house (often near the chimney) to bestow good luck on the house and its occupants.
These practices might seem extremely odd to the fellow who threw his shoe at Bush as a sign of contempt - granting him good fortune was the furthest thing from his mind.
As indicated, the boundaries of cultural practices in relationship to shoes is the sort of thing that anthropologists can address. You may receive additional comments here, but consider cross-posting your question.