A woman suspected of being a witch was beaten by a mob and died last week in Guarujá, Brazil, near the country's largest city, São Paulo. The attack was prompted by suspicions the woman was involved in a kidnapping in the area, following a Facebook post by a local news outlet, according to a report from Folha de São Paulo, the country's largest newspaper.
"Housewife Fabiane Maria de Jesus, 33, died last Monday (May 5) after being beaten by a group of people from Guarujá two days before," the report said. "The lynching ... was motivated by suspicion that Fabiane was connected to child abductions in the region thought to be linked to black magic rituals. According to Military Police, however, there is no indication that she had committed such a crime."
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According to the Folha de São Paulo report, the attack was sparked by a warning shared through social media. The newspaper reported that the Facebook page for a local tabloid-style news outlet spread an alert claiming that a woman had been seen abducting children, and many believed her motivation was witchcraft. A sketch of the woman the news outlet claimed was a child abductor was included with the alert, and resembled the victim. Administrators for the Facebook page have since released a statement denying responsibility for the attack and stating that the page had merely passed along the unfounded rumors as a public service and never claimed the child-abduction rumor was true.
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While many people think of witch hunts as relics of the distant and superstitious past, belief in magic is widespread throughout the world. Magical thinking, such as attributing ordinary events and random coincidences to supernatural influence, is common. Human brains are hardwired to seek cause-and-effect patterns in the world, even when they don't exist. When something good happens, we often attribute it to prayer, good luck or superstition (such as carrying a lucky penny); when something bad happens, we may blame others who we believe have cursed us.
Facebook Post Leads to Witch Hunt, Tragedy in Brazil | LiveScience
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