History Main / WitchHunt

While this trope really came into its own in TheFifties as a metaphor for [[RedScare paranoia about Communists]] in the United States, today the Witch Hunt has become synonymous with ''any'' wild, unfounded hunt for a nebulous 'enemy', in which actual, fact-based ''evidence''--should such even exist in the first place--is scarce or exaggerated. Indeed, when played straight, the entire point of this trope is that the supposed "enemy" is either completely nonexistent or nothing like the social menace it is mistakenly believed to be, and that the fear which leads a community to abandon its principles of justice is itself more dangerous than any enemy that might exploit those principles; a hunt against an actual covert enemy who is genuinely dangerous is generally [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar a different type of story]].

While this trope really came into its own in TheFifties as a metaphor for [[RedScare paranoia about Communists]] in the United States, today the Witch Hunt has become synonymous with ''any'' wild, unfounded hunt for a nebulous 'enemy', in which actual, fact-based ''evidence''--should such even exist in the first place--is scarce or exaggerated. Indeed, when played straight, the entire point of this trope is that the supposed "enemy" is either completely nonexistent or nothing like the social menace it is mistakenly believed to be, and that the fear which leads a community to abandon its principles of justice is itself more dangerous than any enemy that might exploit those principles; a hunt against an actual covert enemy who is genuinely dangerous is generally a different type of story.

While this trope really came into its own in TheFifties as a metaphor for [[RedScare paranoia about Communists]] in the United States, today the Witch Hunt has become synonymous with ''any'' wild, unfounded hunt for a nebulous 'enemy', in which actual, fact-based ''evidence''--should such even exist in the first place--is scarce or exaggerated.

* The "Satanic Panic," which took place from the 1970s to the 1990s in the US and UK. Thanks to people like Mike Warnke publishing books like ''The Satan Seller'' (later discredited), people became convinced that massive numbers of Satanists were engaged in all sorts of nefarious activities, including but not limited to underground child pornography rings (using children left at daycare centers), sacrificing people, putting subliminal messages in everything to corrupt the youth, and trying to TakeOverTheWorld. UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories hold that some of them still are.

* Despite the stereotype, the situation with witchcraft and witch hunts in the medieval period was more nuanced than many expect. Throughout the Middle Ages, the official position of the Church was that witches and witchcraft did not exist. Believing and teaching that witches existed was actually considered heresy, and killing anyone for "being a witch" was considered murder. However, this seemingly straightforward condemnation can be misleading today, as what they meant by "witch" does not correspond exactly with our 21st century understanding. "Witchcraft" at the time was connected with paganism, and belief in pagan gods and spirits remained widespread among the common people even after the Christianization of Europe. It's true the condemnation of belief in witches was partially to protect innocent victims, but was primarily out of concern that peasants would ''willingly'' turn to witches for help and revert to paganism. Yes, it wasn't all just wild, superstitious accusations. Some people actually claimed to ''be'' witches and possess magical powers. Such people were condemned not as witches but simply as heretics (i.e. false belief). Claiming witchcraft did not exist at all was an attempt to impress the idea that ''only'' the Christian God was legitimate. Nevertheless, despite the official Church position and their efforts, belief in witchcraft remained widespread. Gradually, the idea of witchcraft moved away from "invoking pagan gods" and more towards our current understanding of witchcraft as a "deal with the Devil," and actual witch hunts started receiving official sanction only (ironically) at the start of the Renaissance and Early Modern Era.

* The plot of ''Manga/AWitchsLoveAtTheEndOfTheWorld'' kicked off after literal witch hunts. After previously coexisting peacefully with humans for years, witches were persecuted and hunted down in witch hunts during the seventeenth century out of fear, typically fear of the spread of unknown illnesses. [[spoiler: Iris died in one such witch hunt.]]

* In the first-series ''{{Series/Blackadder}}'' episode "The Witchsmeller Pursuivant", Prince Edmund is accused of witchcraft by the Witchsmeller and convicted on completely ridiculous "evidence". [[spoiler: The ironic part is Edmund's mother ''is'' a witch: it was her actions that burned the Witchsmeller alive and freed Edmund.]]

** An interesting example in the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode, appropriately titled "[[Recap/AngelS02E02AreYouNowOrHaveYourEverBeen Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?]]". [[spoiler: After a man commits suicide, due to a demon who feeds on negative human emotion, the hotel manager and bellboy cover up the crime. Paranoia spreads, with the demon affecting people's minds, until Angel is hung by a lynch mob of ordinary hotel employees and guests who believed he killed the man. The person who fingered him, a young woman who did so to save herself from going to jail for theft, then spent the next 50 years feeding the demon with her guilt over Angel's "death".]]

* ''{{Series/Salem}}'' deals with the Salem witch trials, so this trope obviously occurs. Though in this case, the witches are real and are manipulating the Puritans into killing each other [[spoiler: in order to make the sacrifices necessary for the Grand Rite]].

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had elements of this inspired by the {{ShapeShift|ing}}er masters of the Dominion. The fact they keep up the blood screenings even though they know that the guy who came up with it was a changeling and it didn't work on him... TruthInTelevision, to a degree. Reference the concept of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater security theater]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'''s episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E22TheMonstersAreDueOnMapleStreet The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street]]" was a wonderful example: [[spoiler: everyone was looking for the aliens among them who were responsible for the power outage, but the real aliens were watching from outside the town. They knew they just had to cut off the power, and the people would kill each other in their witch hunt]]. In [[Series/TheTwilightZone2002 the remake of that episode]], [[spoiler:It was a military experiment instead. The soldiers found the results disheartening to say the least]].

* The city of Labyrinthia in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney'' periodically suffers attacks from witches, so they have taken as a habit to catch the first woman in the crime scene, blame her for the crime, throw her into a KangarooCourt and burn her alive after a farce trial. The ''Ace Attorney'' side of the game is playing as Phoenix in these trials, and it's quite daunting. [[spoiler: Ironically Phoenix gets more respect here than in a real courtroom. The second case in particular not only has him prove his client is innocent but also prove that the witch that was apparently responsible for this case and an older one is innocent as well. When it seems like she's going to be burned alive anyway, Phoenix pleads with the judge, and we later found out they just locked her up instead. Phoenix Wright managed to convince a witch hunt to ''spare the witch''.]]

* The culture of Ishgard in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' conducts trials against people that they suspect of being a dragon. A common trial is to take the accused to a gorge aptly named Witchdrop and punt them into the pit below. If they die from the fall, they are declared innocent and are sent to the halls of their god. If the person is a dragon, they'll transform to escape and will be shot down by waiting archers in the distance. [[spoiler: Ironically, ''Heavensward'' reveals that ''all'' Ishgardians are draconic to some degree. Those that transform into dragons have simply awakening the heritage that they had all along.]]

* ''Videogame/BravelyDefaultII'': In chapter 3, the local religion in control of Rimedhal is persecuting people suspected of being fairies. When a person is suspected of being a fairy, they are shoved off a tall cliff into the "Jaws of Judgment". The townspeople are reassured that if the person is not a fairy, then they will simply gain a good afterlife as they are judged favorably by the Lord of Dragons; but if they are a fairy, they will spread their hidden wings and fly off to save themselves, thus being exposed. [[spoiler: Double subverted as fairies do exist but are mostly good, one of the outsiders trying to help the town is a fairy disguised as a human, and it turns out the actual threat is the chief inquisitor Helio, who is TheMole and started this witch hunt to soften Rimedhal up for invasion, and who is indirectly working for an actual evil fairy.]]

* ''Webcomic/SisterClaire'' witches are pronounced as a common enemy to nuns and are hunted down by them. A very hardcore hunter named Sister Abraham is especially dedicated to this [[spoiler: to the point where if anyone who can potentially wield magic, she'll label them as a potential witch and quickly set on "purging" them]]. This came to a head before the story when [[spoiler:Abby burned down the church orphanage where Olga and her brothers lived, brothers and all]].

* ''Webcomic/JackieRose'': A backstory that showcased Blackburn's origins reveal [[spoiler: that the girl she possessed was charged for this simply because one of the villages suspected her because her father was the only one to bring in fish when the other fishermen weren't able to....yeah. Needless to say, when the demon took over her body, she showed ''exactly'' how scary a real witch was]].

* [[spoiler: Sentinel Prime]] touches off one of these in the third season of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', even making propaganda shorts warning that anyone could be a Decepticon. It's slightly justified since the last Decepticon spy was [[spoiler: the freaking Head of Autobot Intelligence]].

* The [=#MeToo=] movement, which was born out of the Weinstein Effect and destroyed the careers of some celebrities accused by the movement, has been called this by those accused and the movement's detractors, accusing them of deliberately ignoring the presumption of innocence - that being "Innocent until proven guilty" - and trying to have those accused ConvictedByPublicOpinion instead of by a court of law. On the other hand, members and supporters of the movement itself have stated that calling the movement a witch hunt is a slanderous attempt to avoid accountability of the accused.

* Perhaps the most (in)famous actual witch hunt in the Western Hemisphere was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials Salem Witch Trials,]] which took place in and around the town of [[SalemIsWitchCountry Salem, Massachusetts]] in 1692–93. Twenty people, most of them women, were executed on spurious evidence (another five died in prison); several dozen more were accused but exonerated or never brought to trial. The trial proceedings were criticized almost from the outset, and were forcibly shut down in 1693. As mentioned above, ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' uses this as a backdrop to covertly criticize [=McCarthyism=].

* Perhaps the most (in)famous actual witch hunt in the Western Hemisphere was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials Salem Witch Trials,]] which took place in and around the town of [[SalemIsWitchCountry Salem, Massachusetts]] in 1692–63. Twenty people, most of them women, were executed on spurious evidence (another five died in prison); several dozen more were accused but exonerated or never brought to trial. The trial proceedings were criticized almost from the outset, and were forcibly shut down in 1693. As mentioned above, ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' uses this as a backdrop to covertly criticize [=McCarthyism=].

There is a menace in the community. They may ''look'' like us, but they are not us. And they lurk among us, just waiting for their chance to do us harm. Anybody you know could be one of them: your neighbor, your coworker, your friend, even a member of your family. But don't be fooled-- they're only ''pretending'' to be your loved one. In reality, they are a [[WickedWitch witch]]/[[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]]/[[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent werebeast]]/[[HumanAlien alien]]/[[PaedoHunt child molester]]/[[DirtyCommunists Communist]]/[[ReligionOfEvil devil worshipper]]/[[SerialKiller serial killer]]/[[AllAbusersAreMale male sexual predator]]/[[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]/[[GayPanic gay man]]/[[MistakenForRacist racist]]/[[BombThrowingAnarchists anarchist]]/[[PompousPoliticalPundit conservative]]/[[TheFundamentalist Christian]]/[[ShapeShifting shape-shifter]]! We must root out this menace and destroy them, no matter what steps we may have to take. After all, the safety of the community is far more important than such niceties as civil rights, the First Amendment, the presumption of innocence, and due process, right?

There is a menace in the community. They may ''look'' like us, but they are not us. And they lurk among us, just waiting for their chance to do us harm. Anybody you know could be one of them: your neighbor, your coworker, your friend, even a member of your family. But don't be fooled-- they're only ''pretending'' to be your loved one. In reality, they are a [[WickedWitch witch]]/[[PaedoHunt child molester]]/[[DirtyCommunists Communist]]/[[ReligionOfEvil devil worshipper]]/[[AllAbusersAreMale male sexual predator]]/[[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]]/[[GayPanic gay man]]/[[MistakenForRacist racist]]/[[BombThrowingAnarchists anarchist]]/[[PompousPoliticalPundit conservative]]/[[TheFundamentalist Christian]]/[[ShapeShifting shape-shifter]]! We must root out this menace and destroy them, no matter what steps we have to take to do so. After all, the safety of the community is far more important than niceties like civil rights, the First Amendment, the presumption of innocence, and due process, right?

There is a menace in the community. They may ''look'' like us, but they are not us. And they lurk among us, just waiting for their chance to do us harm. Anybody you know could be one of them: your neighbor, your coworker, your friend, even a member of your family. But don't be fooled-- they're only ''pretending'' to be your loved one. In reality, they are a [[WickedWitch witch]]/[[PaedoHunt child molester]]/[[DirtyCommunists Communist]]/[[ReligionOfEvil devil worshipper]]/[[AllAbusersAreMale male sexual predator]]/[[GayPanic gay man]]/[[MistakenForRacist racist]]/[[BombThrowingAnarchists anarchist]]/[[PompousPoliticalPundit conservative]]/[[TheFundamentalist Christian]]/[[ShapeShifting shape-shifter]]! We must root out this menace and destroy them, no matter what steps we have to take. After all, the community's safety is far more important than niceties like civil rights, the First Amendment, the presumption of innocence and due process, right?

* Perhaps the most famous actual witch hunt in the Western Hemisphere was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials Salem Witch Trials,]] which took place in and around the town of [[SalemIsWitchCountry Salem, Massachusetts]] in 1692. Twenty people, mostly women, were executed on spurious evidence (another five died in prison); several dozen more were accused but exonerated or never brought to trial. The trial proceedings were criticized almost from the outset and were forcibly shut down in 1693. As mentioned above, ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' uses this as a backdrop to covertly criticize [=McCarthyism=].

A trope that came into its own in TheFifties as a metaphor for [[RedScare paranoia about Communists]] in the United States. A community believes that some of its members are secretly enemies in disguise, and attempts to find out which. Hysteria rises, often due to [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste one or more people trying to take advantage of the fear to satisfy personal grudges or advance themselves socially and/or politically]]. Inevitably, [[MiscarriageOfJustice innocent people are accused]] and promptly ConvictedByPublicOpinion, if not literally convicted by a KangarooCourt, often dying or having their lives ruined.

Turns the community into AllOfTheOtherReindeer, and often includes a TorchesAndPitchforks scene, and when the target is "witches" can lead to the so-called witch getting [[BurnTheWitch burned at the stake]].

A frequent "twist" is that the person doing the most to urge on the Witch Hunt is actually one of the enemy group, knowingly (in which case he's conducting it to get rid of his rivals, or to spread chaos among the populace, or just to divert suspicion away from himself, regardless of how well this last strategy holds up to FridgeLogic) or otherwise (TomatoInTheMirror). Of course, this twist relies on the enemy group [[WindmillPolitical actually existing in the first place]].

Today, the Witch Hunt has become synonymous with ''any'' wild, unfounded hunt for a nebulous 'enemy', in which actual, fact-based ''evidence'', if such exists in the first place, is scarce or exaggerated.

Compare TenLittleMurderVictims, VanHelsingHateCrimes and HeroWithBadPublicity. An organized system of TrainingTheGiftOfMagic may be instituted to reduce the risk of witch hunts. Not to be confused with TheWitchHunter, who hunts ''actual'' witches; a Witch Hunt can be organized against any kind of enemy.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:''How pitiful... manipulated by speculation, now no longer human'']]-]

There is a menace in this community. They may look like us, but they are not us. They lurk among us, waiting for their chance to do us harm. Anyone could be one of them: your neighbor, your friend, even a member of your family. But don't be fooled, they're only pretending to be your loved one. In reality, they are a [[WickedWitch witch]]/[[PaedoHunt child molester]]/[[DirtyCommunists Communist]]/[[ReligionOfEvil devil worshipper]]/[[AllAbusersAreMale male sexual predator]]/[[GayPanic gay man]]/[[MistakenForRacist racist]]/[[BombThrowingAnarchists anarchist]]/[[PompousPoliticalPundit conservative]]/[[TheFundamentalist Christian]]/[[ShapeShifting shape-shifter]]! We must root out this menace and destroy them, no matter what steps we have to take. After all, the community's safety is far more important than niceties like civil rights, the First Amendment, the presumption of innocence and due process, right?

* The Music/{{Rush}} song "Witch Hunt", of course.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The real Salem Witch Trials make up the point of divergence from our history in the show since actual witches existed that made a pact with Massachusetts Colony in exchange for ending the persecution. It was then carried over into the US until in present times American witches serve in the military.

* In ''Film/NoWayOut'', the RedScare of the 1980s is used to set up the dramatic hunt for a [[RedHerringMole supposed Soviet mole]] as the scapegoat for U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Creator/GeneHackman David Brice]], who just murdered his two-timing mistress for cheating on him and needs a patsy for his crime. As it happens, [[Creator/KevinCostner Commander Farrell]], the man hired to investigate, knows that he's the man Brice's mistress was cheating with and has therefore been [[HiredToHuntYourself hired to hunt himself]]. While he ends up exonerating himself of the murder, the TwistEnding reveals [[spoiler:Farrell to actually be a Soviet mole]].

* This is the name of one quest in ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma''. It involves Selene, a mysterious young girl living by herself in the Witchwood. She has done so for quite a while and people are aware of a 'witch' (actually just an excellent herbalist) living in the woods, but never paid her much heed. This changes when the dragon returns and a group of villagers come to the conclusion she must have summoned it somehow. Cue the Witch Hunt. If the player helps her out, she moves into the {{Player Character}}'s house, where she'll be a lot safer.

* Perhaps the most famous actual witch hunt in the Western Hemisphere was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials Salem Witch Trials,]] which took place in and around the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Twenty people, mostly women, were executed on spurious evidence (another five died in prison); several dozen more were accused but exonerated or never brought to trial. The trial proceedings were criticized almost from the outset and were forcibly shut down in 1693. As mentioned above, ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' uses this as a backdrop to covertly criticize [=McCarthyism=].

* Despite the stereotype, the situation with witchcraft and witch hunts in the medieval period was more nuanced than many expect. Throughout the Middle Ages, the official position of the Church was that witches and witchcraft did not exist. Believing and teaching that witches existed was actually considered heresy, and killing anyone for "being a witch" was considered murder. However, this seemingly straightforward condemnation can be misleading today, as what they meant by "witch" does not correspond exactly to our 21st century understanding. "Witchcraft" at the time was connected with paganism, and belief in pagan gods and spirits remained widespread among the common people even after the Christianization of Europe. It's true the condemnation of belief in witches was partially to protect innocent victims, but was primarily out of concern that peasants would ''willingly'' turn to witches for help and revert to paganism. Yes, it wasn't all just wild, superstitious accusations. Some people actually claimed to ''be'' witches and possess magical powers. Such people were condemned not as witches but simply as heretics (i.e. false belief). Claiming witchcraft did not exist at all was an attempt to impress the idea that ''only'' the Christian God was legitimate. Nevertheless, despite the official Church position and their efforts, belief in witchcraft remained widespread. Gradually, the idea of witchcraft moved away from "invoking pagan gods" and more towards our current understanding of witchcraft as a "deal with the Devil," and actual witch hunts started receiving official sanction only (ironically) at the start of the Renaissance and Early Modern Era.

* Despite the stereotype, the situation with witchcraft and witch hunts in the medieval period was more nuanced than many expect. Throughout the Middle Ages, the official position of the Church was that witches and witchcraft did not exist. Believing and teaching that witches existed was actually considered heresy, and killing anyone for "being a witch" was considered murder. However, this seemingly straightforward condemnation can be misleading today, as what they meant by "witch" does not correspond exactly to our 21st century understanding. "Witchcraft" at the time was connected with paganism, and belief in pagan gods and spirits remained widespread among the common people even after the Christianization of Europe. It's true the condemnation of belief in witches was partially to protect innocent victims, but was primarily out of concern that peasants would ''willingly'' turn to witches for help and revert to paganism. Yes, it wasn't all just wild accusations from superstitious peasants. Some people actually claimed to ''be'' witches and possess magical powers. Such people were condemned not as witches but simply as heretics (i.e. false belief). Claiming witchcraft did not exist at all was an attempt to impress the idea that ''only'' the Christian God was legitimate. Nevertheless, despite the official Church position and their efforts, belief in witchcraft remained widespread. Gradually, the idea of witchcraft moved away from "invoking pagan gods" and more towards our current understanding of witchcraft as a "deal with the Devil," and actual witch hunts started receiving official sanction only (ironically) at the start of the Renaissance and Early Modern Era.