A bit dramatic. Nobody's burning anyone at the stake or tossing particle physicists in jail.
Science is alive and well and will continue to flourish -- though probably not with the U.S. as its center.
But there are those who would if they could. I myself have received not-so-veiled threats about how I might have to be "dealt with" for "doing the work of the devil" and so forth.
Isn't that a bad enough consequence all by itself?
In this case it's the perpetrator of the crime that suffers more than the victim. I am not directly hurt by other people's willful ignorance, but it's like watching an autistic child bang his head against a table.