FAITH UNDER FIRE
Hanged witch in Massachusetts sparks allegation of ‘hate crime’
Halloween celebrated with sorceress in noose, pagan worshipper likens it to lynching blacks

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Posted: October 14, 2007
2:51 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com In the state made famous for persecuting witches in the late 17th century, a modern day sorceress in Massachusetts is burning mad about a neighbor’s Halloween decoration depicting a witch hanging from a noose, calling it a hate crime against her religion.

Witch hanging from noose as part of Halloween decoration in Chicopee, Mass. (courtesy WSHM-TV)

“I want to see him take it down,” said Kelly Lynch of Chicopee, Mass. “Look at what’s going on in Louisiana. That would be the same thing. If a black family had … crosses outside of their house or nooses hanging from their trees, it’s basically the same thing.”

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As many of you know, I’m a native of Salem, Massachusetts. I grew up in this Witch City, a colonial seaport town whose ubiquitous witch-on-a-broom image is found everywhere, including the city’s newspaper masthead, business signs, weathervanes, on bags of potato chips. Salem High School’s football team? The Mighty Witches. My high school yearbook? The Witch. The City police uniforms and vehicles bear the witch motif.

During the summer of 1970, several episodes of the popular TV program “Bewitched” were filmed in Salem and surrounding communities. Several movies about the witch trials have been filmed there, including The Crucible, Three Sovereigns for Sister Sarah, and Hocus Pocus.

Each October the “Witch City” celebrates its history with a month-long schedule of activities culminating in the week-long festivities called “Haunted Happenings”, overflowing Salem’s coffers with tourist dollars. “Discover the Magic of Salem” touts publicity materials.

Salem’s official witch Laurie Cabot was the subject of an award-winning TV video report I did about Halloween in 1981.

So it was with this as background that I read this report in today’s World Net Daily and thought “WTF?”:

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An accompanying WorldNetDaily poll reveals that more than half of those answering say they don’t think it’s any big deal. Do you?Tonight I’ll be talking to Alison di Meori, Education Director at the Salem Witch Museum, about this latest development, and whether it might have a negative impact on the city that touts its witchcraft history to attract tourist dollars.

It all begins at 9 p.m. ET and I promise, it will be — spellbinding!

Previous Posts About Salem on The Radio Patriot:

No Place Like Home

Something Fresh is Always Brewin’ Here

You’re a Grand Old Flag

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