Massacre

a massacre is frequent the murder of humans under particularly cruel circumstances, a Gemetzel or blood bath, in connection with motives such as hate or revenge. The word is to the French verb more massacrer (niedermetzeln) taken, which over detoursfrom latin mateola (tool for hitting into the earth, Schlegel) descends.

In martial conflicts one understands by it normally those politically or ethnical motivated Exekution about civilians, military or paramilitärischen forces after their surrender or after the surrender of its cityand/or their village. Massacres are thus mass murders, which are committed by armed units without military necessity outside of the actual war actions. They serve the spreading of terror or the deterrence or them are organized as systematic revenge and punitive action. [[Bei]]Massacres of larger extent or such, which stands in a general context and is directed against the population of whole areas, one speaks also of Demozid.

Also with striking down of demonstrations and rising it can come to massacres, in addition with thatDestruction of a military unit by superior forces or with application of superproportional firepower. Likewise the term is used when civilian criminal actions with similar consequences, approximately with incalculable Amokläufen of individual authors or with notices of terror.

In the international right become more exactdefined terms such as genocide, war crime or crime against the humanity uses, because the term massacre carries indistinct Nebenbedeutungen with itself and therefore can be propagandistically more easily abused.