Christians blamed for ‘medieval’ taunts and threats towards witches in Alcester

Jul 3 2011 by Anuji Varma, Sunday Mercury

IT sounds like a horror story straight from medieval times.

Two witches descend on an ancient market town – only to be targeted by terrified Christians calling for them to be burned at the stake.

But for dad-of-one Albion and his partner Raven, 39, this is no historical event... it is a 21st Century nightmare.

The couple opened their shop The Whispering Witch in the quaint town of Alcester, Warwickshire, around 15 months ago and claim to have been subjected to a hate campaign ever since.

“People shout ‘burn the witches’ as they go past and we’ve had others urinating up the window,” said Albion, 51.

“I found a pile of wood stacked in front of the door one morning.

“We’ve also had letters quoting extracts from the Bible telling us not to ‘promote the work of darkness’ in ‘their town’. I can only assume this is the work of Christians. The handwriting looks as though it’s from an adult. It’s like living in the 16th century.”

The pair, from Redditch, have been Pagans for years and no longer use their birth names, which they refuse to reveal.

They claim to have suffered prejudice in the past because of their religious beliefs – but not on this scale.

“Things have gotten so bad that Raven has been close to a nervous breakdown,” Albion said.

“When she walks down the street, people cross the road to avoid her.

“She’s been to the doctor to get help, the stress is too much.

“It does sound like the letters are from people attending the churches because of the references to the Bible. We’ve had four in total and each one has been in different handwriting.