AN MSP and feminist campaigner have hit back at accusations pursuing a posthumous pardon for the Scottish women convicted of witchraft is a “waste of time”.

On Thursday, SNP MSP Natalie Don launched a consultation on a new Bill which would posthumously pardon the Scots women who were strangled or burned at the stake during the witch trials held between 1563 to 1736. Over 4000 people lost their lives, 85% of whom were women.

Witches of Scotland (WOS), who have been spearheading the national campaign for an apology, pardon and memorial to those convicted, said that in response to the consultation launch Don didn’t get “too much hassle” on social media but that there were still some who took aim at the campaign.

Zoe Venditozzi, co-founder of the WOS campaign with QC Claire Mitchell, told the Sunday National: “The negative comments were very much like a waste of time, this is daft.”

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Numerous replies under Don’s post linking to the consultation on Twitter criticised the move, with one user writing: “What an utter waste of parliamentary time and public money.”

Don told the Sunday National: “I’ve wanted to respond to this - I would say that it’s possible for a members or anyone really to focus on a number of different things at one time and to care about a number of different things at one time, and in general, for myself, within the chamber and within committees, child poverty, the cost of living crisis, all these big issues have been things that I have focused my attention on.

“But this is also something that I care about, and this is something that a lot of other people care about as well. So I can take that on at the same time. I would say it’s definitely important. I think the fact that this hasn’t been addressed before now is perhaps the shocking fact.”

Venditozzi points to when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on International Women’s Day this year gave a formal apology to those convicted of witchcraft under the act in Holyrood. The tone of replies was similar, and it’s something she sees often scouring social media for references to witches in Scotland.

The 47-year-old explained: “Pretty much every time I do it, Nicola Sturgeon is characterised as a witch.

“I think it’s really interesting that it still has a lot of power, because it’s not quite a swear word but it’s got that kind of funny but also scary [element] too.

“It’s an easy way of saying to women - get back in your box.”

The Renfrewshire North MSP said that constituents had brought the issue up to her, as the last witch trial held in Scotland and mass execution for witchcraft held in Europe, was in part of her constituency. In 1697, four women and two men were hanged on the Gallow Green, Paisley, after the seventh accused had committed suicide in his prison cell. They were found guilty of bewitching the 11-year-old daughter of the Laird of Bargarran.

Both Don and Venditozzi hope that the pardon will send a message to countries where “modern” accusations of witchcraft are on the rise, mostly directed at old, young and particularly vulnerable women, in African countries like Nigeria and Ghana.

Don explained: “The symbolic nature of the bill could have really far reaching impacts in terms of not only those international comparisons, but just addressing the misogyny that took place back then.

“Women were seen to be weak, they were seen to be inferior or more susceptible to the devil’s charms and we need to address that, that was wrong.”

Venditozzi added: “I think it’s really important that we all know the bad stuff as well as the good stuff, and it’s not just all about we invented televisions, aren’t we wonderful Scots - Scottish people did terrible things in the past and we need to talk about that too.”

Scotland had more witchcraft trials, convictions and death sentences than England and other neighbouring countries, with the exception of Germany, after the Witchcraft Act was passed in 1563. The legislation sparked fear amongst the heavily religious public that the devil was running rampant, and that women were more susceptible to his charms - they were frequently painted as the weaker sex and systematically punished and killed in droves.

But it wasn’t just religion or the paranoia of King James IV and his subsequent book demonology - which set out how to find women doing “the devils work” - sometimes it simply came down to neighbourly disputes. Although men were convicted alongside women, the accusations and trials were heavily biased by gender.

Venditozzi explained: “It wasn’t just down to misogyny, but there is no way that the figures are so skewed without there being a real angle towards women.

“If it was anything other than that it would be around about 50/50 clearly, so I think that it’s still a live issue.”

The bill to allow a pardon is “self explanatory and simple”, Don told the Sunday National, and said the consultation is to find out if “people are supportive of it”.

She added: “Sometimes members’ bills consultations can shape legislation, but there isn’t much room for that because it’s quite straightforward”.

Despite this there are still clear parellels with modern life, Don adds, and the way women are treated. She said: “Women aren’t getting burned at the stake anymore but we are still more susceptible to violence to rape, in the worst cases murder that we’ve seen.

“It’s really important, as someone who studied history I would like the history books to be correct. These women were not criminals.

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“They were wrongly convicted, and I would like my daughter and other women to grow up understanding that this was an injustice that was carried out and hopefully it will be corrected, because as I say, it’s misogyny in play and in the 16th and 18th centuries.”

With the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon heading the Scottish Government and the last Holyrood elections returning more female MSPs than ever before - although still not 50% of all parliamentarians - the Sunday National asked Don if she believed this had allowed the apology and pardon to get as far as it has.

She replied: “I would have liked to have seen this carried definitely before but I think that probably does help. The majority of women that I’ve heard from, if not all have been really, really supportive of this. I do believe that if just from that we can clearly see that as a woman’s issue.”

“With some of the things that have been happening to women in the past few years and obviously different movements that have taken place so I think this is definitely a good time for it to happen,” she added.