Couldn’t make it. Scottish witches get pardon.

[MrsMadderRose]

we’re so sorry we targeted women as witches

While right now women are being arrested and having “witch” screamed at them for thinking biological thoughts and not pretending to believe in magic

Once you accept that the historic miscarriages of justice happened . That a great injustice was carried out that overwhelming ly targeted women, then the bricks start falling...

Everybody knows this already. It makes not one jot of difference to the lives of women today.

Yes, I'm dismissive. No, I'm not raging. And I will choose what issues I care to take seriously, thanks. There is no shortage of things out there to be appalled at, I can assure you.

And I will choose what I'm appalled at.

Over and out

Plopper.

I'm appalled!

Not sure I can work up to Appalled, Repent. Mildly scunnered?

Nice when people drop by to tell us what we should be appalled by tho. Scotswomen just do not listen or know what's good for us, it's true.

Popping into FWR to tell the women how they should speak and then leaving.

Right female/feminist behaviour that!

Plopping

Well you quoted me right of context griefmonster. What I said was that I think they are a bit silly but I understand that some people do care about them, and that’s fine.

However I do think we should be wary of governments using historical events to virtue-signal while in the present not protecting that same demographic. The big newsworthy gesture is used to let themselves off the hook and the issue of women’ d rights being shat on and women being vilified right now is conveniently ignored.

I wouldn’t have a particular issue with the campaign in itself, if the government were pro women’s rights.

I don't even get this point.

Let people know it wasn't ok to burn women for being witches 500 years ago and then they will realise why we need to reduce the pay gap or whatever?

I mean, really?

I've been supportive of the campaign from the start and I'm pleased the government has started to show support now.

The campaign has been ongoing for more than 2 years, by two women who've worked hard to demonstrate the very real wrong perpetrated against women and the generational trauma this caused. There were 4000 people accused at a time when the population of Scotland was only 1 million.

Just because the SNP are utterly shite with women's issues generally doesn't mean supporting this campaign isn't positive.

What generational trauma?

Did anyone think witchcraft trials were not wrong before this campaign?

It was 4,000 over the period of the
early sixteenth century and the mid-eighteenth century so comparing that to a population of 1 million is irrelevant.

The witchcraft trials are historically interesting; pardons and apologies are pointless and redundant.

@CallMeNutribullet

I've been supportive of the campaign from the start and I'm pleased the government has started to show support now.

The campaign has been ongoing for more than 2 years, by two women who've worked hard to demonstrate the very real wrong perpetrated against women and the generational trauma this caused. There were 4000 people accused at a time when the population of Scotland was only 1 million.

Just because the SNP are utterly shite with women's issues generally doesn't mean supporting this campaign isn't positive.

Thanks for this. I'm open to understanding the campaign. I wasn't up for being told off for not instantly lauding it and I thought the point made about how it would change things for women was facile at best.

I agree - most people know that women persecuted and executed for being witches hadn't done anything wrong, and were not actual witches in some supernatural sense. I don't think a campaign like this makes people suddenly newly aware that witch-hunts are bad.

There is nothing wrong with the campaign itself, but if the SNP endorse it they should also be standing up against the modern witch-hunting and misogyny of gender ideology. But they're doing the opposite, while using things like this to look "feminist"

Although at this point to be fair Nicola Sturgeon could have herself imolated in Parliament Square holding a placard that said 'Women's Rights Now' and I still wouldn't believe she was a feminist.

Was someone actually arrested just for re-tweeting?

Marion Millar was arrested for retweeting a photo of ribbons tied to a fence (on the left.) The complainant said the ribbons looked like a noose.
I can only imagine the horror the poor man feels every time he looks at the SNP logo.

The history or herstory of the witch-hunts is super interesting. Don't want to take anything away from the women who have pursued the pardoning. The old witch hunts and this apology juxtaposed against the modern day witch hunts are even more interesting to me.

I am sure a few hundred years from now Marion Millar will be pardoned for her retweet and there will be books written on the threats received by JKR and there will be much hand-wringing and amazement in the general public about how this happened.

The history or herstory of the witch-hunts is super interesting

History does just fine.

I agree the history of witchcraft trials is very interesting. But I really don't see where a campaign like this is in any way relevent, and what's more, I think these kinds of treatments actually obscure a lot of important historical understanding.

Because you know, as much as there were people who used accusations of witchcraft for their own ends, or there were instances of mass hysteria and authorities unable to uphold the law, many uneducated people in the early modern period really did believe in witches. And not that there were nice herb ladies with special wisdom, but there were people in league with the devil in order to gain evil powers over others. And if you believe that, no wonder you might be inclined to pretty extreme measures to try and stamp it out.

There is a lot of interesting psychology in that fact, and also interesting questions about why that theological view became prevalent at that time, when earlier Christians had rejected the whole possibility of witchcraft. And even asking why women often were the targets. But presenting it as a sort of campaign against womanhood is not really a very complete way to understand what happened.

@Griefmonster

I have Scottish family and a family member sent me the podcast. What the campaign is doing is fascinating and rooted in feminism.

I find it bizarre that a feminist board would be so critical of this campaign. Those of you scoffing would do well to read more about the campaign and the women behind it.

This.

I've been to a few of the events that have led up to the Witches of Scotland being pardoned. They have been fascinating and a lot of people are learning about our history. I first learned about the Scottish witch trials when I was at primary school but had struggled to find out more information.

There have been a lot of events, at least one memorial erected and a call for a national memorial and museum so the history is easily accessible.

The campaign has been led by women so to have it trashed on a feminist board is a bit galling.

I wouldn’t have a particular issue with the campaign in itself, if the government were pro women’s rights

It's not an SNP campaign.

i I don't think a campaign like this makes people suddenly newly aware that witch-hunts are bad.

Which is presumably why "witch-hunt" entered the language with a negative meaning.

FWIW, my initial reaction was "what's the point?" but then I heard some of the discussion on the radio and it was interesting.

An interesting account of the last Scottish Witch to be burned, nearly 300yrs ago, before Culloden. There were many injustices that would get the death sentence in those days or transportation into slavery which amounted to the same thing.

www.spookyisles.com/janet-horne/

I’m not saying it’s an SNP campaign, my posts make that clear. I’m saying the SNP are adopting it to look good while being on the wrong-side of a modern-day witch hunt. If they’re really so sorry about witch-hunting, they should look at themselves.

I think the campaign is a good thing- it gets the witch trials back in the news. You’d be surprised how little history some people know.

Yes, the hypocrisy of it is...interesting.

SNP are engaging in a feminist version of greenwashing. Commit publicly to something feminist that in practice requires no change in your current extremely unfeminist activity.

Witchwashing.