Is witch-burning back? Fear of the coronavirus has stoked the flames of the anti-5G movement, drawing parallels with the mass hysteria and witch-hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Coronavirus witch-hunt sets Europe ablaze
Is witch-burning back? Fear of the coronavirus has stoked the flames of the anti-5G movement, drawing parallels with the mass hysteria and witch-hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries.
An invisible enemy stalks Europe, sickness sweeps the land. Dark diabolical forces are at work and angry mobs with burning torchesDestroying something completely by burning has always been deeply symbolic and ritualistic, as it reduces something to nothing. Bonfires on Guy Fawkes' night are rooted in a tradition of burning Catholic heretics (those who didn't believe in the Church's official teaching); the Nazis burned massive piles of banned books, and protests often involve the symbolic burning of your enemy's flag. are on the streets.
1613 or 2020?
Over the last few weeks, arsonists have burned down dozens of 5G towers across Europe, blaming the telecom equipment for spreading the coronavirus. It's a bogus conspiracy theory, but one stirred up by celebritiesRapper Wiz Khalifa, singer Keri Hilson, and actor Woody Harrelson have all used their huge following on social media to spread the 5G conspiracy theory. on social media - and a climate of fear and anxiety about a disease that has infected five million people worldwide.
The anti-5G attacks have been especially bad in the Netherlands, where 22 masts have been torched in the last few weeks. But 400 years ago, they weren't burning phone towers. They were burning people.
In 1613, in the Dutch town of Roermond, a network of witches was supposedly uncovered. Under interrogation and torture by the authorities, these women confessed to using black magic to murder 600 newborn babies, 400 elderly people, and 6,000 livestock.
Relieved to have discovered the cause of so much death, the town gathered to watch 40 witches burn alive. And to make sure they died slowly, the officials chose slow-burning green wood to prolong their agony.
Thankfully, the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Europe was an unfortunate Swiss woman, beheaded in 1782. But some think the 5G arson attacks have a lot in common with the early modern craze for witch-burning.
Like now, disease and climate changeLong-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change. were causing hardship and death across the continent. Angry, starving people wanted someone to blame. Governments feared rebellion and, so, redirected the people's rage onto scapegoatsThe term for blaming an innocent victim comes from the Bible and a ritual of sacrificing a goat to rid the community of sin..
Modern-day leaders are quick to blame China for the coronavirus, with 5G witch-hunters joining the dots between Chinese-made technology and Covid-19. Chinese communities have also been targeted by this anti-China hysteria.
The most famous witch-hunt in history took place in SalemBetween 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people in the puritanical British colony of Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, and 19 people were sentenced to death., Massachusetts in 1692 and inspired Arthur Miller's classic play, The Crucible. Miller shows how witch-hunts are a dark side of human nature that never went away.
In 1956, the playwright himself was accused of communism at the height of the McCarthy witch-hunt. His play examines how witchcraft accusations set neighbours against each other, whilst governments avoid the blame. With our neighbours making sure we don't break social distancing rules, maybe we all need to be careful not to end up being burnt at the stake?
So is witch-burning back?
Of course not, say some. There's a world of difference between burning people and burning phone masts. In the early modern period, tens of thousands of innocent people were killed by their own governments. Those burning 5G towers today are fanatics on the fringes of society, who are not supported by governments or the wider public.
Yes, others say, and it's very dangerous. History warns us that widespread fear can turn into mass hysteria. When people don't trust evidence and begin believing in rumours, those in control of the information can direct people's anger against innocent scapegoats. Like a virus or a wildfire, these violent outbursts can grow rapidly out of control.
Keywords
Burning torches - Destroying something completely by burning has always been deeply symbolic and ritualistic, as it reduces something to nothing. Bonfires on Guy Fawkes' night are rooted in a tradition of burning Catholic heretics (those who didn't believe in the Church's official teaching); the Nazis burned massive piles of banned books, and protests often involve the symbolic burning of your enemy's flag.
Celebrities - Rapper Wiz Khalifa, singer Keri Hilson, and actor Woody Harrelson have all used their huge following on social media to spread the 5G conspiracy theory.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Scapegoats - The term for blaming an innocent victim comes from the Bible and a ritual of sacrificing a goat to rid the community of sin.
Salem - Between 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people in the puritanical British colony of Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, and 19 people were sentenced to death.
Coronavirus witch-hunt sets Europe ablaze
Glossary
Burning torches - Destroying something completely by burning has always been deeply symbolic and ritualistic, as it reduces something to nothing. Bonfires on Guy Fawkes' night are rooted in a tradition of burning Catholic heretics (those who didn't believe in the Church's official teaching); the Nazis burned massive piles of banned books, and protests often involve the symbolic burning of your enemy's flag.
Celebrities - Rapper Wiz Khalifa, singer Keri Hilson, and actor Woody Harrelson have all used their huge following on social media to spread the 5G conspiracy theory.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Scapegoats - The term for blaming an innocent victim comes from the Bible and a ritual of sacrificing a goat to rid the community of sin.
Salem - Between 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people in the puritanical British colony of Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, and 19 people were sentenced to death.