Darkest Night. Will Hill

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      PR: Right. Ever since Greg and I got to know each other, we’ve looked for ways to make a difference. But we trusted somebody we shouldn’t have, and we made a terrible mistake.

      GB: We were misled. Afterwards, we both wondered whether we should just keep our heads down, you know? But neither of us could do it. We’d seen so much. And people needed to know the truth.

      PR: I don’t mind admitting that after McKenna’s story came out, I was scared for a long time. Blacklight threatened us with prison when they let us go, and we didn’t know whether we were making things harder for Kate and Matt.

      GB: But then Gideon went on TV, and everything changed. We saw a chance to do something.

       DB: And you definitely took it. So what exactly are the aims of SSL?

      PR: We don’t have aims as such. This isn’t a political movement, it doesn’t have a cause. What we hope to provide is a sympathetic ear for people who have been hurt by the supernatural, directly or indirectly.

      GB: And I think our own experiences with Blacklight are what set us apart from the other vampire support groups that are out there—

      PR: —although some of them do excellent work—

      GB: —right, sure. But SSL is for anyone whose life has been affected by any aspect of the supernatural, including the people who are supposed to protect us from them.

       DB: So what can someone who calls SSL expect?

      PR: Someone who’ll listen to them. And believe them. And won’t judge them.

      GB: I should make it clear that SSL is more than just a helpline. That’s an important part of it, but we also have programmes that will be going live over the next few months that we believe will make a real difference to the public, both humans and vampires. We’re going to be offering safe sources of blood, ultraviolet torches and bulbs for people to protect themselves with. The helpline is just the beginning.

       DB: SSL is a registered charity.

      PR: Right.

       DB: But in your statement you announced that you won’t be taking donations from the public. Why not?

      GB: Because we don’t need them. We have a board of directors and a number of private individuals who have been extremely generous in helping us get started. If at some point the financial situation changes, then we’ll look at it. But, for now, we don’t want people’s money. We’d rather they kept it in their pockets.

       DB: Let me ask you both a blunt question. Do you hate vampires?

      GB: I just told you that we’re going to be running programmes designed to make the lives of vampires easier, so let me be very clear. SSL is absolutely not an anti-vampire group. It’s a victim-support group.

      DB: Right. I hear you. But given what you’ve been through, I guess a better way to phrase my question would be: how can you not hate vampires?

      PR: Because we don’t believe that they’re inherently evil. Many of them are victims themselves, turned against their will.

       DB: So if a vampire wanted to volunteer with SSL, he or she would be welcome?

      GB: Absolutely.

       DB: What about Blacklight? What are your feelings towards them?

      PR: SSL doesn’t believe that a highly armed military unit operating in secrecy is a good thing for the country.

       DB: Come on. Get real. What do the two of you really think?

      GB: They kidnapped my son and brainwashed him into a bloody stormtrooper. What do you think I think?

       DB: I would assume you’re angry with them.

      GB: And you’d be right.

       DB: So what would you say to those commentators who are calling SSL a personal crusade? Who claim that your motivation for founding it is revenge against Blacklight?

      PR: That’s completely ridiculous. As we’ve already said, this is not a lobbying organisation or a pressure group. It’s a way for us to reach out to people whose lives have been touched by darkness and let them know they’re not alone. It’s as simple as that.

       DB: And I wish you the very best of luck with it. Thank you both for your time.

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      Ref: 409043/A

      Source: The London Record

      Date: 6th August

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       RIOTING BREAKS OUT AS ICC RULES THAT BLACKLIGHT WILL NOT FACE CHARGES

       Julian Dawes, Senior Political Correspondent, London

      Armed police were called to deal with rioting in more than a dozen European cities overnight, following the International Criminal Court in The Hague’s announcement that it would not be pursuing charges against Blacklight, its international equivalents, or any individuals for either genocide or crimes against humanity. The verdict was met with violent protests outside the court, and triggered a wave of unrest across the continent that only ended with the rising of the sun. Professor David Albright, who has campaigned for vampire rights and co-authored the petition that was presented to the ICC, spoke to the media on the steps of the court.

      “This is a dark day for European democracy,” said Albright. “For more than a century, secret death squads have been carrying out summary executions of men and women guilty of nothing more than being vampires, without affording them due process, or legal counsel. History will view this as the secret holocaust of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a holocaust that the International Criminal Court is now a party to.”

      Authorities in all major European cities have placed police and emergency services on high alert, in anticipation of further unrest as the sun sets this evening.

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      Ref: 414702/E

      Source: The National Recorder

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