Of course they existed. It's why we have the centuries-old term "witch hunt". The important thing is not that they are unheard of, but that they are back, after a rather long hiatus in the West.

And the worst thing about the witch hunts to my mind is not that they are happening; it is the increasing amount of the population that sees them as a good thing. As long as they are targeted at the right people, of course, but the standards used for "right people" are growing quickly, too.