Looting
Part of a series on |
War |
---|
Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war,[1] natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective),[2] or rioting.[3] The proceeds of all these activities can be described as booty, loot, plunder, spoils, or pillage.[4][5]
During modern-day
After disasters
During a disaster, police and military forces are sometimes unable to prevent looting when they are overwhelmed by humanitarian or combat concerns, or they cannot be summoned because of damaged communications infrastructure. Especially during natural disasters, many civilians may find themselves forced to take what does not belong to them in order to survive.[8] How to respond to that and where the line between unnecessary "looting" and necessary "scavenging" lies are often dilemmas for governments.[9][10] In other cases, looting may be tolerated or even encouraged by governments for political or other reasons, including religious, social or economic ones.
History
In armed conflict
Looting by a victorious army during war has been a common practice throughout recorded history.[11] Foot soldiers viewed plunder as a way to supplement an often-meagre income[12] and transferred wealth became part of the celebration of victory. In the wake of the Napoleonic Wars and particularly after World War II, norms against wartime plunder became widely accepted.[11]
In the upper ranks, the proud exhibition of the loot plundered formed an integral part of the typical Roman triumph, and Genghis Khan was not unusual in proclaiming that the greatest happiness was "to vanquish your enemies... to rob them of their wealth".[13]
In ancient times, looting was sometimes prohibited due to religious concerns. For example,
In warfare in ancient times, the spoils of war included the defeated populations, which were often
Looting, combined with poor
In 1990 and 1991, during the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein's soldiers caused significant damage to both Kuwaiti and Saudi infrastructure. They also stole from private companies and homes.[23][24] In April 2003, looters broke into the National Museum of Iraq, and thousands of artefacts remain missing.[25][26]
Syrian conservation sites and museums were
Prohibited under international law
Both
The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly prohibits the looting of civilian property during wartime.[6][32]
Theoretically, to prevent such looting, unclaimed property is moved to the custody of the Custodian of Enemy Property, to be handled until returned to its owners.
Modern conflicts
Despite international prohibitions against the practice of looting, the ease with which it can be done means that it remains relatively common, particularly during outbreaks of
In the case of a sudden change in a country or region's government, it can be difficult to determine what constitutes looting as opposed to a new government taking custody of the property in question. This can be especially difficult if the new government is only partially recognized at the time the property is moved, as was the case during the 2021 Taliban offensive, during which a number of artifacts and a large amount of property of former government officials who had fled the country fell into the hands of the Taliban before they were recognized as the legitimate government of Afghanistan by other countries. Further looting and burning of civilian homes and villages has been defended by the Taliban as within their right as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.[35]
Looting can also be common in cases where civil unrest is contained largely within the borders of a country or during peacetime. Riots in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protests in numerous American cities led to increased amounts of looting, as looters took advantage of the delicate political situation and civil unrest surrounding the riots themselves.[36][37][38] Up to 175 Target stores closed Nationwide during the disturbances.[39][40]
During the ongoing Kashmir conflict, looting of Kashmiris trapped between the Indian and Pakistani militarized zones is common and widespread.[41]
In 2022, international observers accused Russia of engaging in large scale looting during the Russo-Ukrainian War, reporting the widespread looting of everything from food to industrial equipment.[42] Despite the publication of numerous photos and videos by Ukrainian journalists and civilians, numerous Russian commanders, such as Gareo Novalsky, have denied these claims. International observers have theorized that this looting is either the result of direct orders, despite to Russia's claims to the contrary, or due to Russian soldiers not being issued with adequate food and other resources by their commanders.[43]
Archaeological removals
The term "looting" is also sometimes used to refer to antiquities being removed from countries by unauthorized people, either domestic people breaking the law seeking monetary gain or foreign nations, which are usually more interested in prestige or previously, "scientific discovery". An example might be the removal of the contents of Egyptian tombs that were transported to museums across the West.[44]
Looting of industry
As part of
Many factories in the
Gallery
-
The aftermath of the plundering of the village of Wommelgem in 1589. Eighty Years' War, painting by Sebastiaen Vrancx
-
Private security guards, barbed wire fencing, and boarded up windows to prevent looting of department stores in New York City during mass unrest in the United States, 7 June 2020
-
The Beit Ghazaleh Museum of Aleppo was looted of its contents prior to being hit by explosions (photo 2017)
-
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen. Omar N. Bradley, and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., inspect art treasures stolen by Germans and hidden in salt mine in Germany (1945)
-
Looters attempting to enter a cycle shop in North London during the 2011 England riots
See also
- Arson
- Banditry
- Conflict resource
- Depredation
- Hijacking
- Piracy
- Prize of war
- Vandalism
- Thak Thak gang
References
- ^ "Baghdad protests over looting". BBC News. BBC. 2003-04-12. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "World: Americas Looting frenzy in quake city". BBC News. 1999-01-28. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "Argentine president resigns". BBC News. 2001-12-21. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "the definition of looting". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
- ^ "Booty – Define Booty at Dictionary.com".
- ^ a b c d e f Rule 52. Pillage is prohibited., Customary IHL Database, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)/Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Hague Convention on the Law and Customs of War on Land (Hague II), article 28.
- from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ "Indonesian food minister tolerates looting". BBC News. July 21, 1998. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- PMID 18828410.
- ^ S2CID 143721778.
- ISBN 0804708940, str. 93
- ^ Henry Hoyle Howorth History of the Mongols from the 9th to the 19th Century: Part 1 the Mongols Proper and the Kalmyks, Cosimo Inc. 2008.
- ^ A History of the Franks, Gregory of Tours. Pantianos classics, 1916
- ISBN 0521394422, p. 87. "African states waged war to acquire slaves [...] raids that appear to have been more concerned with obtaining loot (including slaves) than other objectives."
- ^ Sir John Bagot Glubb, The Empire of the Arabs, Hodder and Stoughton, 1963, p. 283. "...thousand Christian captives formed part of the loot and were subsequently sold as slaves in the markets of Syria".
- ISBN 978-0691154435.
- ^ (in Polish) J. R. Kudelski, Tajemnice nazistowskiej grabieży polskich zbiorów sztuki, Warszawa 2004.
- ^ "Nazi loot claim 'compelling'". BBC News. October 2, 2002. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ISBN 0313340129
- ISBN 8302022454, p. 147
- ^ Myers, Steven Lee, Iraq Museum Reopens Six Years After Looting, New York Times, February 23, 2009
- ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Oil Fires in Iraq". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ Barker, Craig. "Fifteen years after looting, thousands of artefacts are still missing from Iraq's national museum". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ Samuel, Sigal (2018-03-19). "It's Disturbingly Easy to Buy Iraq's Archeological Treasures". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ Swann, Steve (2019-05-02). "'Loot-to-order' antiquities sold on Facebook". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ^ Harkin, James. "The Race to Save Syria's Archaeological Treasures". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- )
- ISBN 0521857643
- ISBN 0521463084
- ^ Gannon,LiveScience, Megan. ""Space Archaeologists" Show Spike in Looting at Egypt's Ancient Sites". Scientific American. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ "'Cultural War': Iraq Mourns Relics Destroyed by ISIS". NBC News. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ "Taliban looted, torched Afghan homes after evicting residents -Human Rights Watch". Reuters. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ Wagner, Dennis. "'Peaceful protests got hijacked': Some criminals used George Floyd protests as cover for looting, police say". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ Tingston, Nhx (June 6, 2020). "Looter from BLM and George Floyd Protest Bragged About Theft on Facebook While Offering Stolen Goods for Sale". Techtimes. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "List: Austin businesses looted during protests". kvue.com. 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Voytko, Lisette. "Target Closes 175 Stores Nationwide In Wake Of George Floyd Protests, Looting". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "VIDEO: People loot Minneapolis Target in wake of George Floyd protests". KRON4. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Two arrested for beating, looting homeless man in Srinagar: Police". The Kashmir Walla. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ Fylyppov, Olexsandr; Lister, Tim (May 2, 2022). "Russians plunder $5M farm vehicles from Ukraine – to find they've been remotely disabled". CNN. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "'Hungry' Russian Soldiers Loot Ukrainian Shops". rferl. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Egypt's Antiquities Chief Combines Passion, Clout to Protect Artifacts". National Geographic News. October 24, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006.
- ^ "Między Modernizacja a Marnotrawstwem" (in Polish). Institute of National Remembrance. Archived from the original on 2005-03-21. See also other copy online Archived 2007-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Armia Czerwona na Dolnym Śląski" (in Polish). Institute of National Remembrance. Archived from the original on 2005-03-21.
- ^ "Turkey looted Syria factory: Damascus – World News". Hürriyet Daily News. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ISBN 978-1315469164.
- ISBN 978-1472260550.
- from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
Sources
- Abudu, Margaret, et al., "Black Ghetto Violence: A Case Study Inquiry into the Spatial Pattern of Four Los Angeles Riot Event-Types", 44 Social Problems 483 (1997)
- Curvin, Robert and Bruce Porter (1979), Blackout Looting
- Dynes, Russell & Enrico L. Quarantelli, "What Looting in Civil Disturbances Really Means", in Modern Criminals 177 (James F. Short Jr., ed., 1970)
- Green, Stuart P., "Looting, Law, and Lawlessness", 81 Tulane Law Review 1129 (2007)
- Mac Ginty, Roger, "Looting in the Context of Violent Conflict: A Conceptualisation and Typology", 25 Third World Quarterly 857 (2004). JSTOR 3993697.
- Stewart, James, "Corporate War Crimes: Prosecuting Pillage of Natural Resources", 2010
- Kończal, Kornelia (2017), Politics of Plunder. Post-German Property and the Reconstruction of East Central Europe after the Second World War. EUI Florence.
- Kończal, Kornelia (2014), Das Schreiben und das Schweigen über die Plünderung des deutschen Eigentums. Die identitätsstiftende Figur des szabrownik im Nachkriegspolen, in: Włodzimierz Bialik, Czesław Karolak und Maria Wojtczak (ed.): Ungeduld der Erkenntnis. Eine klischeewidrige Festschrift für Hubert Orłowski, Peter Lang, Frankfurt a. M., p. 155–170.
- Kończal, Kornelia (2017), The Quest for German Property in East Central Europe after 1945: The Semantics of Plunder and the Sense of Reconstruction, in: Yvonne Kleinmann among others (ed.): Imaginations and Configurations of Polish Society. From the Middle Ages through the Twentieth Century, Göttingen: Wallstein, p. 291–312.
- Kończal, Kornelia (2021), German Property and the Reconstruction of East Central Europe after 1945: Politics, Practices and Pitfalls of Confiscation, in: European Review of History. Revue européenne d’histoire 28 (2), p. 278–300.
External links
- Media related to Looting at Wikimedia Commons