Fable: Lion and Hyenas

A lion had a deep hatred of hyenas, and he would roam the savannah and ruthlessly hunt down and slaughter any that he saw. For a while, the hyenas feared him, until one brave individual rallied them all together and proclaimed that they should fight back.
The next time the lion began to maul one of the hapless animals, the others emerged from the long grass and tore at the lion's flanks. He tried to defend himself, but there were so many hyenas harrying him from all sides that he was at last forced to retreat. Covered in bites and scratches, he wandered through the plains shouting, "Help me! Those hyenas have always had it in for me!"

Men claim persecution often when they are no longer allowed to persecute.