Canadian activists build ‘shoe cannon’ to hurl shoes at effigy of Bush.

Former President Bush is in Calgary today giving his first speech since leaving office last January. While it appears Canadian human rights lawyers and activists were unsuccessful in banning Bush from Canada (he arrived safely last night), protesters have gathered to rally against Bush’s invasion of Iraq and his terror and detention policies. As part of the protests, local activists have collected shoes from Canadians around the country and constructed a shoe cannon that will launch shoes at an effigy of Bush:

Footwear has been collected and a cannon has been constructed to toss shoes at an effigy of the much-maligned leader in homage to the Iraqi reporter who chucked his loafers at Mr. Bush last December and was sentenced last week to three years in prison.

Over the weekend, activists held a mock trial and found Mr. Bush guilty of committing war crimes and urged authorities to arrest him when he steps foot on Canadian soil.

“We had shoes sent in (to us) from across the country,” said Colette Lemieux of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “It doesn’t matter that he is no longer president,” she added. “A bank robber who stops holding up banks can and must still be prosecuted for his crimes.” The same applies for Bush, she said.