Why “Witch Hunt” Hurts – And Why We’re Not Having It

Every time a politician cries “witch hunt,” I can’t help but roll my eyes so hard they could summon a thunderstorm. Really? The most powerful people in the room, with entire legal teams and PR machines at their fingertips, suddenly want to borrow the language of persecution? Let’s be clear, being investigated for shady dealings is not the same as being dragged from your home, tortured, and executed for the mere suspicion of witchcraft.

The phrase “witch hunt” isn’t some cute turn of phrase. It comes from centuries of blood-soaked history, when fear, politics, and patriarchy combined to destroy tens of thousands of lives, mostly women’s. To toss that trauma around as a political soundbite is like comparing a paper cut to a battlefield wound. It is tone-deaf, dismissive, and frankly, lazy.

What really stings for those of us in the craft is how it cheapens the work of reclamation. We’ve spent generations weaving pride, power, and magic back into the word “witch.” We’ve turned it from an accusation into an anthem. So when a leader under fire shrugs off accountability with “witch hunt,” they’re not only erasing history, they’re stomping all over the present. And let’s not forget, accusations of witchcraft still lead to violence and exile in some parts of the world today. This isn’t metaphor, it’s reality.

So, what’s a witch to do? We clap back. We remind people that words matter, and that this one is steeped in real suffering. We hold space for remembrance, we honour our ancestors, and we continue to reclaim the word “witch” as something fierce, proud, and sacred. And we don’t let the powerful hijack it to dodge accountability.

Here’s the truth: politicians might try to hide behind the drama of “witch hunt,” but witches know better. We see through illusions, we cut through the noise, and we name things for what they are. Let them cry witch hunt, but we’ll keep standing tall, spinning our magic, and reminding the world that the real witch story is one of resilience, fire, and rising stronger every time.