Campaigners urge MSPs to progress Scottish witches pardon bill left in limbo

SNP MSP Natalie Don put out a proposed Witchcraft Convictions (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill for consultation in 2022 but it had to be withdrawn after Don became Scotland’s children’s minister in Humza Yousaf’s government last year.

Parliamentary rules say ministers cannot promote private members’ bills and the Scottish Government has said it has no plans to legislate in this area.

Although the consultation responses are due to be published soon, it will be down to another MSP to then pick it up and drive it on.

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So far no MSPs have announced they will be taking it forward and campaigners are now desperate to see that happen after building up so much momentum around the campaign.

A pardon would be seen as a vital next step after former first minister Nicola Sturgeon formally apologised on International Women’s Day in 2022 to those convicted, vilified or executed under the Witchcraft Act 1563 - a law that was in place until 1736.

Over 4000 people are believed to have lost their lives during witch trials in Scotland, 85% of whom were women.

Judith Langlands-Scott, a historian who has been studying accused witches in Forfar for more than a decade, said if the legislation is not picked up now, she fears the opportunity to pardon those convicted may be lost completely.

She told The National: “I think we need someone to build on the momentum that Natalie [Don] got so far with.

“If this gets kicked into the long grass, it will just continue to be kicked further back.

“We need someone to see this is a huge issue and they could be at the forefront of delivering something really momentous - drawing a line in the sand in Scottish history. We’re so close.

Judith Langlands-Scott (second from right) helped to organise a memorial service in Forfar to remember accused witches (Image: Supplied)

“Scotland has always prided itself on being a forward-looking country and people across the world are looking to us to see what we’re going to do with this because it can affect their campaigning and help them in their countries.”

A plaque has recently been unveiled in Forfar remembering dozens of people accused of witchcraft in the Angus town, but ultimately campaigners are looking for a pardon and then a national memorial to be constructed to remember the some 2500 Scots convicted and 4000 accused.

Zoe Venditozzi, co-founder of the Witches of Scotland campaign, said it was frustrating to see the bill fall into limbo especially when she believes the witch trials still have so much relevance to our lives today.  

She said: “Nicola Sturgeon talked about how historically we have treated women really badly and this is one of the ways that embedded misogyny is explained, because we had the witch trials.

“So this is something we can all rally around. We see women politicians now referred to as witches, so it’s a really relevant issue still.

“Some people struggle with the relevance but what we keep saying is we need to learn from these mistakes of history. We can see it happening right now in various countries, none more so than in Gaza, where the Palestinians have been othered to the point where they have lost their humanity.

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“Accusations of witchcraft are also still happening in various countries and often these are countries with a colonial legacy. So we would say there is a part to play in the fact when we were out there, we took those prejudices with us and interfered in the way countries were run and that’s still there.

“It would be really great to get this tied up so we can move on to campaigning for a memorial.”

The proposal for a pardon received cross-party support but some people wrote to Don with negative comments suggesting it was a waste of time.

However, Langlands-Scott argued many groups of people today are still marginalised in society as she fired a warning we should never take the laws and rights we have now for granted.

She added: “Today this is something that affects everyone because people are still being persecuted for having mental health problems, or drug and alcohol problems.

“All these kinds of people are still marginalised within our society. The Tories are still talking about cutting benefits from the disabled. These groups are still such an easy target and they were an easy target just over 300 years ago.

“Thankfully laws have changed over time to say you can’t do this anymore, but who’s to say they will stay the same? It’s still hugely relevant.

“Some people say ‘why do you bother?’ The answer has to be, 'why wouldn’t you bother with this?'”