The legal definitions can be far removed from normal usage—in California “lynching” is when a crowd forcibly removes a suspect from police custody, since that was often a prelude to what we would recognize as actual lynching. But it’s been used charge protesters with “lynching” for interfering with the arrest of other protesters.
That is interesting that it has bespoke legal definitions. The Wikipedia entry is what I expected
Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an extreme form of informal group social control, and it is often conducted with the
A group could be three dudes in Klan robes. I haven’t seen anything yet indicating that applies here. But the history of Deep South racism is also a history of terrorism. It only takes three homicidal maniacs to terrify a county.
The legal definitions can be far removed from normal usage—in California “lynching” is when a crowd forcibly removes a suspect from police custody, since that was often a prelude to what we would recognize as actual lynching. But it’s been used charge protesters with “lynching” for interfering with the arrest of other protesters.
That is interesting that it has bespoke legal definitions. The Wikipedia entry is what I expected
Yes, legal definitions vary a lot by jurisdiction. “Assault and battery” is probably the most varied. Some places they’re two separate things.
I guess based on that definition, since it wasn’t proven yet that a group of people did this, it does not meet the criteria.
A group could be three dudes in Klan robes. I haven’t seen anything yet indicating that applies here. But the history of Deep South racism is also a history of terrorism. It only takes three homicidal maniacs to terrify a county.