Avada Kedavra: Romanian Witches Protest New Tax Laws By Cursing Government

Before you go off and watch Nicolas Cage hack 'n' slash his way through evil 14th-century witches and demon monks in Season of the Witch, consider this: In real life, those witches have it tough. Over in Romania, a legion of professional witches are up in arms over a new law demanding 16 percent of the income they make from crafting $10 spells, curses and love potions (with ingredients like cat poop and black pepper). Fortunately, these witches aren't going legit without a fight; the Romanian Tea Party movement has begun!

Writes a clearly amused Alison Mutler for the AP:

President Traian Basescu and his aides have been known to wear purple on certain days, supposedly to ward off evil ... Basescu and other aides dressed in purple on Thursdays to increase his chance of victory. They continue to be seen wearing purple clothing on important days, because the color supposedly makes the wearer superior and wards off evil.

Queen witch Bratara Buzea, 63, who was imprisoned in 1977 for witchcraft under Ceausescu's repressive regime, is furious about the new law. Sitting cross-legged in her villa in the lake resort of Mogosoaia, just north of Bucharest, she said Wednesday she planned to cast a spell using a particularly effective concoction of cat excrement and a dead dog, along with a chorus of witches.

According to the AP, a dozen witches were planning to protest today by throwing poisonous mandrake into the Danube River, a partial source of drinking water already heavily polluted by industrial waste. To which we say: Romanian witches, you've got to think bigger. What Would Bellatrix Lestrange Do? Oh, right.

· Romania's Witches Curse Income Tax Ruling [AP via MSNBC]