European witch-hunts

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Burn them!

The European witch-hunts represent some of the most famous, largest, and most humanly devastating examples of the witch-hunt phenomena.

These witch-hunts occurred during the Renaissance and early modern period, between roughly the 1400's to the 1700's - which in the "gee isn't it curious that..." category, corresponds almost directly with the Black Death. Between 40,000 and 60,000 "witches" were killed at this time, most of them innocent peasants including the "strange old widows", handicapped persons, simpletons, and people who practised nature religions. But it also was a convenient time to kill off the neighbouring priest, competitive business men, or someone that had "dirt" on a high official. And, for those women who were skilled as midwives or other healers, this was a sure claim for execution. A mere claim of "witch" in a town ravaged by the plague was often enough to have that person killed.

[edit] Other famous witch-hunts

Witch-hunts are a phenomena that can happen in almost any culture. They can be used to explain why bad things happen to good people ^[1] and, more importantly, "Who can we blame?" In many cases, even on a local scale, this "witch-hunt" becomes a frenzy of people naming victims, evidence without merit, trials without evidence, convictions without trials and executions without convictions.

Salem witch trials
McCarthy communist scare
Bush's "war on terror" attacks on anyone who might some how, in some way, possibly be Arabic or maybe just an enemy to his personal goals.