A post based on unverified rumors was posted on the Facebook page of a local tabloid. As a result, an innocent woman, who was suspected of witchcraft and kidnapping, was beaten to death by an angry mob.
A mob of angry people in the Brazilian city of Guaruja attacked a woman suspected of witchcraft and beat her to death. The citizens were provoked by a message posted on Facebook by a local news outlet.
Housewife Fabiana Maria de Jesus died on Monday, May 5, at the age of 33, after being massively beaten by the inhabitants of Guaraji. The lynching act occurred due to suspicions about the connection of the deceased with a number of abductions of children, committed, according to many, to carry out rituals of black magic. The military police claim that the deceased had nothing to do with these crimes.
From an article in the newspaper "Folha de S? O Paulo"
The Folha de S? O Paulo newspaper also reports that the attack was triggered by a warning posted on the Facebook page of a local tabloid. It claimed that witnesses saw a woman kidnap children for use in witchcraft rituals.
Attached to the social media post was a sketch of the kidnapper's face, similar to the image of a 33-year-old housewife. Facebook page administrators refuse to accept responsibility for provoking the crowd. According to them, they only posted a message on the social network based on unverified rumors, without vouching for their reliability.
Although most people believe that witch hunts are in the distant past, in fact, belief in black magic is still very common in various parts of the world. There are many known cases of modern lynching of people suspected of witchcraft
The spread of unverified rumors through social networks is a matter of concern for specialists. After all, Facebook posts replace the media for many; Sensational messages spread like an avalanche on the Internet and can unreasonably provoke massive aggression in society.