The last weekend has been a very tumultuous one, thanks to efforts by a couple of bloggers, there were unearthing of abuse allegations and other such events. Amidst these accusations, some were revealed to be about Ed McDonald, They were made by quite a few accounts and then they were kept anonymous to protect the individuals.

As part of the recent ME TOO movement, it’s highly imperative that females (and males) feel safe to come forward with their stories of abuse. Like any case, be it abuse or any other offence, it is important to know all the facts, to determine the sentence, and indeed verify the claims.

We at Fantasy Book Critic supported these bloggers efforts as we believe in making the community a safer and peaceful one. The allegations against Ed McDonald were also forwarded to Gollancz and Ed was alerted about them.

In regards to these events, we were contacted by an impartial person who chose to investigate these claims and laid bare what was revealed. The following statement is a presentation of the findings and we at Fantasy Book Critic stand by it:

Fantasy Book Critic has now seen irrefutable evidence that the allegations against Ed McDonald have been falsified. 

We are now aware that Ed McDonald has been targeted for online harassment and abuse, and there is also irrefutable evidence of this. The evidence proves beyond all doubt that one or two individuals have utilized multiple social accounts with the express purpose of spreading malicious rhetoric against Ed McDonald, and making it appear that 'reports' are coming from numerous sources, where in fact they all come from a single source. This source has never met Ed McDonald.

It is now very clear that Ed McDonald has been exposed to a long and malicious campaign by someone who has abused the trust and confidence of people, over and over.

--- In light of this, it is asked that members of the Fantasy community:

*Do not name the individuals behind the allegations - even if you suspect who they are. The individuals do not deserve any further attention. Their names have not been mentioned here on purpose.

*Do not pursue the individual(s) behind the allegations. Do not cause them any distress. Doing so may impact pending legal action.

*Welcome Ed McDonald as a member of the community. Any further harassment will not be tolerated.

-- To prevent gossip, the following overview has been provided to summarise these events:

*A number of social media accounts across multiple platforms have been linked to either one, or at most two, individuals behind the allegations.

*These accounts use different personas (including names, real world locations and background information).

*These accounts have pretended to be different individuals to spread falsified allegations in open and closed groups, and in private chats.

*These accounts have made comments in support of posts made by each other, as well as shares and likes.

*At least one account is in a position of authority in a public internet forum. This authority was abused throughout this case, and ultimately Ed McDonald was banned from the forum after he tried to defend himself against the allegations.

Regards,
Concerned Member of the SFF Community and Fantasy Book Critic

We stand with Ed McDonald with regards to these false charges and also support everyone who decides to come forward in the future. These false accusations should not deter victims from coming forward as we at Fantasy Book Critic will always support those who need help and are looking for justice.

NOTE: Me Too graphic courtesy of Entrepreneur India