How did Voldemort terrorize the Muggle World?

Question

I was reading PearsonArtPhoto's answer to the question "What would Voldemort have done had he won?"

PearsonArtPhoto says Voldemort was able to "Occasionally terrorize the Muggle world" after he had gained control of the Wizarding World in book 7. Having only seen the movies, I can't recall the instances that Voldemort interacted with and terrorized the Muggle world. Which leaves me kind of curious, it must be something darkly amusing.

What are the instances of Voldemort terrorizing the Muggles in book 7?

If there are too many, any good example will do. I'm just curious how Voldemort would choose to interact with the Muggle world.

Answer 1

Acts of terrorism, murder and trying to control Government officials. Very similar to the way he terrorised the magical community really, except the Muggle community didn’t know what was causing it.

In the first chapter of Half-Blood Prince, Cornelius Fudge meets the British Prime Minister. Within the first paragraph, the Prime Minister is thinking over recent events and disasters:

How on earth was his government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing? It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending enough on bridges. The bridge was fewer than ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below. And how dare anyone suggest that it was lack of policemen that had resulted in those two very nasty and well-publicised murders? Or that the government should have somehow foreseen the freak hurricane in the West Country that had caused so much damage to both people and property? And was it his fault that one of his Junior Ministers, Herbert Chorley, had chosen this week to act so peculiarly that he was now going to be spending a lot more time with his family?

(Emphasis mine.)

Later in the conversation, Fudge addresses most of those events directly:

“Yes, of course,” said Fudge, rubbing his eyes wearily and looking morosely at the Prime Minister. “I’ve been having the same week you have, Prime Minister. The Brockdale Bridge… the Bones and Vance murders… not to mention the ruckus in the West Country…”

“You–er–your–I mean to say, some of your people were–were involved in those–those things, were they?”

Fudge fixed the Prime Minister with a rather stern look. “Of course they were,” he said, “Surely you've realised what’s going on?”

[…]

“We have the same concerns,” Fudge interrupted. “The Brock-dale Bridge didn’t wear out. That wasn’t really a hurricane. Those murders were not the work of Muggles. And Herbert Chorley’s family would be safer without him. We are currently making arrangements to have him transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The move should be effected tonight.”

In another meeting, Rufus Scrimgeour gives a bit more detail on Herbert Chorley’s condition:

“Now, about Herbert Chorley, your Junior Minister,” he [Scrimgeour] continued. “The one who has been entertaining the public by impersonating a duck.”

“What about him?” asked the Prime Minister.

“He has clearly reacted to a poorly performed Imperius Curse,” said Scrimgeour. “It’s addled his brains, but he could still be dangerous.”

It’s also implied that the Muggle PM would be a target of Voldemort’s attacks:

“It'll be a poor lookout for the Muggles if their Prime Minister gets put under the Imperius Curse. The new secretary in your outer office–”

and he goes on to explain that the PM’s new assistant is Kingsley Shacklebolt.

In the films, we only really see the collapse of a bridge (although it’s the Millennium Bridge which is depicted in the films – the name “Brockdale” is never mentioned). There is a telling line from Hermione (about 14 minutes in):

“Even my parents – they’re Muggles – know something bad’s happening.”

(I don’t think that line appears in the book, but I may be wrong.)

You also have to consider that the Death Eaters would throw up the Dark Mark wherever they went, which would be rather difficult for Muggles to understand. Of course, this was the 90s, so there weren’t things like Twitter and Instagram to make a picture of it go viral, but it would have contributed to the general sense of doom and gloom.

It’s clear that the effects of Voldemort’s attacks are seeping into the Muggle world, even if the Muggles aren’t able to understand them. The same occurred with Sirius Black a few years previously, and the effect of Dementors sweeping the country sets in a gloomy tone.

I don’t think Voldemort ever waged a planned campaign against the Muggles (as opposed to the magical community, where the infiltration of the Ministry and ostracisation of Muggle-borns seems carefully planned), presumably because he didn’t care about them, or regard them as a significant threat. Most of the stuff described above feels like Death Eaters acting alone and with impunity, toying with Muggles just because they can do so without fear of sanction.

Eventually, Voldemort would probably have killed them all (then we might have noticed), but this is never discussed explicitly.

Answer 2

There was a scene in the beginning of The Half Blood Prince between Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic and the Muggle Minister and he mentioned murders, a Giant attack in parts of London and a bridge collapsing with many Muggle casualties.
So, it's safe to say that Voldemort would kill or curse the Muggles as easily as he did to anyone else.
I don't remember any mention of Muggles getting attacked in the Deathly Hallows, but Voldemort must have been because his reign of terror extended into both worlds.

Answer 3

In The Half-Blood Prince, Rufus Scrimegour, the new Minister for Magic, had paid a visit to the Muggle Prime-Minister. During that visit, he had explained that the large storm that had occurred recently was not a natural disaster but rather an act of Lord Voldemort. There had also been what was believed to be fog and unusual cold engulfing the cities of England that was really caused by Dementors, which Lord Voldemort had released to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting Muggle world.

Answer 4

His Death Eaters killed Muggles for fun.

When the Dark Lord took power, his supporters killed several Muggles, often for fun.

“Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. Muggle authorities are attributing the deaths to a gas leak, but members of the Order of the Phoenix inform me that it was the Killing Curse – more evidence, as if it were needed, of the fact that Muggle slaughter is becoming little more than a recreational sport under the new regime.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 22 (The Deathly Hallows)}}

However, though they kill Muggles, they don’t reveal the existence of magic to them. Avoiding revealing this is likely why they didn’t round up and kill larger numbers of Muggles.

“Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties,’ said Kingsley.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 22 (The Deathly Hallows)}}

This was also what happened the first time the Dark Lord took power, though he didn’t have the Ministry under his control that time.

“What were You-Know-Who’s supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?’

‘The point?’ said Mr Weasley, with a hollow laugh. ‘Harry, that’s their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)}}

When he was in power, both times, his followers enjoyed killing Muggles.

Before the Dark Lord took over:

Though the following examples are before the Dark Lord truly took power, they may be relevant. Soon after the wizarding world knows the Dark Lord returned, the Death Eaters kill Muggles in less direct ways, like having a giant attack them.

“That was no hurricane,’ said Fudge miserably.

‘Excuse me!’ barked the Prime Minister, now positively stamping up and down. ‘Trees uprooted, roofs ripped off, lampposts bent, horrible injuries –’

‘It was the Death Eaters,’ said Fudge. ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’s followers. And … and we suspect giant involvement.’

The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks as though he had hit an invisible wall. ‘What involvement?’

Fudge grimaced. ‘He used giants last time, when he wanted to go for the grand effect. The Office of Misinformation has been working round the clock, we’ve had teams of Obliviators out trying to modify the memories of all the Muggles who saw what really happened, we’ve got most of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures running around Somerset, but we can’t find the giant – it’s been a disaster.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)}}

They also allow Dementors to attack people, possibly including Muggles.

“And as if all that wasn’t enough,’ said Fudge, barely listening to the Prime Minister, ‘we’ve got Dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left right and centre …”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)}}

The Death Eaters blackmailed Fudge into allowing them to blow up the Brockdale bridge by threatening a mass Muggle killing.

“He Who Must Not Be Named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of Azkaban in January,’ said Fudge, speaking more and more rapidly, and twirling his bowler so fast that it was a lime-green blur. ‘Since they have moved into the open, they have been wreaking havoc. The Brockdale bridge – he did it, Prime Minister, he threatened a mass Muggle killing unless I stood aside for him and –”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)}}

Blowing up the bridge itself likely caused several Muggle deaths.

“The bridge was less than ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)}}

During that time, the Death Eaters also tried to put Muggle officials under the Imperius Curse.

“Now, about Herbert Chorley – your Junior Minister,’ he continued. ‘The one who has been entertaining the public by impersonating a duck.’

‘What about him?’ asked the Prime Minister.

‘He has clearly reacted to a poorly performed Imperius Curse,’ said Scrimgeour.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)}}

It’s likely they were trying to take hold of the Muggle government as well.