The ones in power can plant the rumor that this year's crops were ruined because of witches, or the plagues started because of their witch cats, but once the witch hunting begins, you stand back lest you get burned yourself. It's a free-burning witch hunt at this point.

Big players don't always have the same end results in mind. I know it's very comforting for conspiracy theorists to hug the security blanket that is the thought that the world is really actually at peace, and every powerful person works hand in hand with every other powerful person in one big loving cabal, but no. Much like a poor ill-networked person can hate or compete with another poor ill-networked person, so can the rich well-networked one. You're far too optimistic about human nature, assuming a conflict-free utopia exists anywhere, even in the upper eschelons of power.

Someone sparked the witch hunters into motion. A different someone fanned the flames. A different someone maintained and grew the immense conflagration. And none of the three are deciding who gets thrown into it.