# Human Shields **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903 "2003-03-04T01:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SRB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/1 "2003-03-04T01:50:36Z")
CNN today said that the human shields from the U.K. had returned home because they feared for their safety. I ask you all, does this qualify for extreme irony? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/2 "2003-03-04T01:54:55Z")
Do you have a link? I believe you…I’d just like to read the story (and don’t feel like poking around [CNN.Com](http://CNN.Com) just now). It’s maybe not irony. They had hoped theior presence would prevent an attack by the United States. I think it became; A) Apparent the US would drop bombs where it felt like regardless of who was standing in the way and B) Most people (myself included) found the ‘human shields’ actions stupid, deserving of a gomb on their head and just mayber borderline treason. With no ground swell of support and the prospect of a firey death they did the inteeligent thing and skeedaddled. ---
**Author:** ![SRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SRB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/3 "2003-03-04T02:13:43Z")
Sorry, Whack-A-Mole, I saw that, and don’t have a link! I agree with you that it was a rather stupid attempt. It does constitute a war crime. I can’t help wondering if they had T-shirts with bullseyes on them. What do you think? LOL Our troops are calling human shields…speed bumps!!! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/4 "2003-03-04T02:15:32Z")
Good grief…I post more than my fair share of typos but that last post is appalling. Apologies to fellow SDMBers for muddling through that quagmire of prose. ---
**Author:** ![SRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SRB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/5 "2003-03-04T02:20:56Z")
Ummmmmm I liked it…🙂 and am not complaining!!! ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/6 "2003-03-04T02:23:14Z")
[A link to the news story](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/02/wshiel02.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/03/02/ixnewstop.html) [A link to the Pit thread going on now about these erstwhile shields.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=166938) ---
**Author:** ![Cessandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cessandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cessandra)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/7 "2003-03-04T02:34:53Z")
[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=166938) is a pit thread about it, which includes a link to a news article. ---
**Author:** ![SRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SRB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/8 "2003-03-04T02:37:54Z")
Thank you, peepthis!!! I do appreciate that! ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-shields/158903/9 "2003-03-04T02:45:16Z")
The General Answer to your question is [no](http://www.askoxford.com/dictionary/irony).