an adversary, they retain their civilian immunity from attack." Human Rights Watch also noted that the use by a state of human shields, voluntary or not, is a violation of international law, citing Protocol I of the First Geneva Convention. Jonah Goldberg claimed after a debate with O'Keefe, that "O'Keefe and his friends are objectively in favor of Saddam Hussein and his murderous regime because they believe he is uniquely worth defending with their bodies. They may be brave, I guess, but they're still idiots, and I'm sure Saddam is grateful for them". Maria Ermanno, chairwoman of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, cited reports that Iraqi officials were arranging transportation, accommodations and news conferences for the human shields and that they were being used for propaganda purposes by Saddam Hussein: "To go down to Iraq and live and act there on the regime's expense, then you're supporting a terrible dictator. I think that method is entirely wrong," Ermanno told Swedish Radio. The Iraqi government was also criticized for encouraging and facilitating the human shield actions, since this was a violation of international law and Protocol I, article 20 of the Geneva Convention. A decade after the start of the Iraq War a number of human shields were interviewed for an article on the movement. None of them regretted having taken part in the action. "It was the right thing to do," claimed Eric Levy who was at Dura oil refinery in southern Baghdad for the duration of the air campaign: "The war was illegal and immoral. We may have failed to stop the invasion, but by putting ourselves in harm's way, we sent a clear message to the world. A message that will hopefully continue to reverberate." See also Human shield Non-violent resistance Popular opposition to war on Iraq Protests against the 2003 Iraq war 2003 invasion of Iraq Anti-war Peace movement References External links Human Shield Action to Iraq – official website Activism Anti–Iraq War groups Opposition to the Iraq War Human shield incidents