caitvy

We are aware of the discussions surrounding DC Douglas. We were aware of them long before announcing him as a guest and carefully considered all publicly available information before making our decision. After doing so, we decided to invite him to Fantasy & Magic Con 2027, and that decision has not changed. The allegations that continue to circulate online date back several years. They did not result in a criminal conviction, and we are not aware of any new evidence that would justify treating them as established facts. We believe in the principle of the presumption of innocence and do not think it is appropriate to make decisions based solely on allegations that have never resulted in a conviction. We also knew that announcing DC Douglas would generate mixed reactions, as it has at conventions around the world. At the same time, we have received many requests from Polish fans to invite DC Douglas, and we believe they deserve the opportunity to meet him. The safety of our attendees remains our highest priority. Under both Polish law and our own internal procedures, every international guest is accompanied throughout the event by a dedicated handler who has undergone a criminal record check. Guests are never left in unsupervised situations with attendees, so many of the scenarios being described online simply cannot occur at our event. We have also seen comparisons to our decision regarding Craig Burnatowski. However, the circumstances were fundamentally different. The allegations involving Craig became public only a few days before the convention, leaving us with virtually no time to properly assess the situation. Given those exceptional circumstances, the decision was made in consultation with the other cast members attending the event and was intended as a precautionary measure, not a judgment of guilt. If Craig will be cleared of the allegations, we would be happy to welcome him to a future edition of Fantasy & Magic Con. We understand that not everyone will agree with this decision, and we respect differing opinions. However, our responsibility as organizers is to make careful, evidence based decisions rather than react to public pressure alone. We made this decision before announcing DC Douglas, after carefully considering the circumstances, and we stand by it. He will remain a guest at FMC 2027.