Fear of mass suicide as 2012 apocalypse approaches

We already figured out that the world was not ending in May 2011, and I didn’t think anyone seriously believed that the world would end in 2012. I mean, did you see that movie? Bleh.

But still, we have this report from CNN:

The specter of a mass suicide tied to the widely predicted end of the world in December 2012 has prompted a warning from a government official in France, where people are already gathering at a place believers predict may provide the only escape from the apocalypse.

Georges Fenech, president of French government agency Miviludes, which observes sect movements and warns the public of potential risks, told CNN that he had alerted French public authorities, including the prime minister, to the issue.

“We fear that this message of fear could have serious consequences on fragile members of the French population,” he said.

I thought the story was a hoax. But it doesn’t look like it. The Daily Mail and Reuters have more.