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" Public enemy" is a term to denounce a notorious criminal whose activities are seen as extremely damaging to society.
A notable declared public enemy was Al Capone in the 1930s.
The phrase is attested in the 17th century in the United Kingdom.
The phrase ennemi du peuple]] was extensively used during the French Revolution. On 25 December 1793, Robespierre stated: "The revolutionary government owes to the good citizen all the protection of the nation; it owes nothing to the Enemies of the People but death."Robespierre, "Le but du gouvernement constitutionnel est de conserver la République; celui du gouvernement révolutionnaire est de la fonder. […] Le gouvernement révolutionnaire doit au bon citoyen toute la protection nationale; il ne doit aux Ennemis du Peuple que la mort" (speech at the National Convention). The Law of 22 Prairial in 1794 extended the remit of the Revolutionary Tribunal to punish "enemies of the people", with some political crimes punishable by death, including "spreading false news to divide or trouble the people".Higgins, Andrew (February 26, 2017) "Trump Embraces ‘Enemy of the People’, a Phrase With a Fraught History", The New York Times.
In 1933, Loesch recounted the origin and purpose of the list:
The phrase was later appropriated by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, who used it throughout the 1930s to describe various notorious fugitives. Unlike Loesch's list, the FBI's "Public Enemies" were wanted criminals already charged with crimes, including at various times John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, Ma Barker, and Alvin Karpis.
The term was used so extensively during the 1930s that some writers call that period of the FBI's early history the "Public Enemy Era". Dillinger, Floyd, Nelson, and Karpis were successively named "Public Enemy Number 1" from June 1934 to May 1936. The informal designation eventually evolved into the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The FBI's website describes the bureau's use of the term: "The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice made use of the term, 'Public Enemy', in the 1930s, an era in which the term was synonymous with 'fugitive' or 'notorious gangster'." It was used in speeches, books, press releases, and internal memoranda and remains in usage to this day.
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