According to the Royal Spanish Academy, lynching is “the execution of a suspect without trial and in riots.” In Huambaló – a city in the province of Tungurahua – a few weeks ago, in the central park, a 28-year-old man was burned to death, in front of several neighbors; but the population is silent about this crime; and, although there are cameras, no one is inspecting them. In the meantime, the media points to the murdered young man as an “alleged antisocial”.

The lynching that took place (the second in the province so far this year) speaks volumes about the moment in which we live. It is not known whether the collective silence is the product of tacit approval of the murder or whether it reflects immense fear of the instigators. Whatever the answer, taking justice into one’s own hands is serious, as serious as contemplating an improper act and joining in by act or omission.

By not identifying those responsible for the lynching, truth and honor are tarnished, because, it seems, “everyone is guilty.” The questions are: what message is being sent to the young generations of Huambaló? Is it a way to solve the problems that are bothering us? There are no answers for now, but it is certain that the family of the murdered will look for answers.

Perhaps the death of that young man in an apparent lynching means that most of the town has stopped believing in justice. Why doesn’t anyone want to say anything? Maybe because a new way of looking at problems, looking for solutions on their own, without the interference of state institutions, has been installed, because everything that smells like bureaucracy has the taste of inefficiency and exudes inconsolation.

Unlike other social events, lynching has no visible and premeditated collective organization, but appears as an unbridled violent force with great power to involve the entire group, and seems to be rooted in justifications that include each individual as an accomplice. member and all institutions of a city. This is the only way to explain why, in the case of the Huambaló lynching, the organizations did not provide any information about the event. The latter indicates the deterioration of the ties between communities and instances intended to maintain order (police, judiciary and the state).

So far this year, it is not the first time that acts of collective violence have occurred in Tungurahua and that it is difficult for the authorities to clarify the events; Only in some cases is the lynching interrupted by police action. According to sociology, lynching is an act of collective violence (unusual), but it is an indicator of social decomposition. In a lynching, a social group joins the action either by chance with the event or because it suspects that by not agreeing to participate, it will be exposed to harassment within the community.

Unfortunately, lynching does not stop crime and sparks circles of revenge; therefore, those who participate in executions add moral debt and uncertainty to their lives. (OR)