perfidy

In the context of war, perfidy is a form of deception, in which one side promises to act in good faith (e.g. by raising a flag of surrender) with the intention of breaking that promise once the enemy has exposed himself (e.g. by coming out of cover in order to capture the surrendering forces).

Military protocol

The practice is specifically prohibited under the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, which states:

Perfidy was part of the customary laws of war long before the prohibition of perfidy was included in Protocol I. For example in Hague IV: Laws and Customs of War on Land (October 18, 1907), Article 23 includes:

The issue of whether the donning of enemy uniforms in order to approach the enemy without drawing fire was within the laws of war was established under international humanitarian law at the trial in 1947 of the planner and commander of Operation Greif, Otto Skorzeny, at the Dachau Trials. The court did not find Skorzeny guilty of a crime by ordering his men into action in American uniforms. He had passed on to his men the warning of German legal experts, that if they fought in American uniforms, they would be breaking the laws of war, but they probably were not doing so just by wearing the uniform. During the trial, a number of arguments were advanced to substantiate this position and that the German and US military seem to be in agreement on it. In its judgement the Court noted that the case did not require that the Court make findings other than those of guilty or not guilty, so consequently no safe conclusion could be drawn from the acquittal of all accused.^[1]

Good Friday Prayer for the Jews

In the earlier versions of the Good Friday Prayer for the Jews, there were references to the perfidious Jews, something which was said to have contributed to Christian antisemitism. However, the newer versions of the prayer do not contain the word perfidious or unfaithful.

« Oremus et pro perfidis Judaeis : Ut Deus et Dominus noster auferat velamen de cordibus eorum ut et ipsi agnoscent Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Non respondetur Amen, nec dicitur Oremus aut Flectamus genua, aut Levate, sed statim dicitur : Omnipotens sempiterne Deus qui etiam judaicam perfidiam a tua misericordia non repellis; exaudi preces nostras quas pro illius populi obcaecatione deferimus, ut agnita veritatis tuae luce quae Christus est, a suis tenebris eruantur. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesun Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. »

See also

• Perfidious Albion
• False flag

Footnotes