The current corona virus scare mongering can be considered to be in the same league of witch hunt. It may not be identical but it has similar underpinnings: -A

The current corona virus scare mongering can be considered to be in the same league of witch hunt. It may not be identical but it has similar underpinnings: -A seeming know demon: the virus, - Somebody's rights are taken away: in this case it's the laymen, and small business owners etc. - It keeps the peasants (the laymen) too engaged with the fear, and sufficiently distracted to not start revolting against their rulers.