Lynching

Lynching is the extrajudicial killing of an individual by a mob, often by hanging, usually motivated by racial bias, religious prejudice, or perceived transgressions against societal norms. It typically involves public display and terrorization, serving as a tool of social control and intimidation. Historically prevalent in the United States, especially targeting African Americans, it's a severe form of mob violence and a violation of human rights. The term can also be used metaphorically to describe public shaming or social ostracization.

Lynching meaning with examples

• During the Jim Crow era, the South was plagued by horrific lynchings. The brutality of these extrajudicial killings instilled fear and enforced white supremacy, suppressing the civil rights of Black Americans and depriving individuals of fair trials and due process.
• Witnessing the lynching of a man accused of theft, the crowd's collective rage culminated in a horrific spectacle of violence and cruelty. The perpetrators, acting outside the law, enacted their own brutal justice, ignoring the man's pleas.
• In a metaphorical sense, the online community engaged in a virtual lynching, relentlessly attacking the whistleblower for leaking confidential company information, subjecting them to relentless harassment.
• The fear of lynching was so pervasive that many civil rights activists lived in constant danger. The threat of mob violence shaped their strategies and limited their actions in their fight for equality.