The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has issued a formal apology to Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo after an offensive slur was heard during Sunday night’s BAFTA Film Awards. The organisation said it takes “full responsibility” for what happened and acknowledged the discomfort caused in the room.
The moment unfolded while Jordan and Lindo were on stage presenting the award for best visual effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash. Campaigner John Davidson MBE, who has Tourette’s syndrome, involuntarily used the N-word. It was heard clearly across the auditorium, leaving people stunned and triggering immediate reactions online.
What exactly happened on the night of BAFTA
According to BAFTA, guests had been informed beforehand that Davidson might experience involuntary verbal tics during the ceremony. Announcements were made early in the evening to prepare the audience for the possibility of strong language or sounds. Despite that, a “profoundly offensive term” was heard while the presenters were on stage, and it carried across the room.
What did BAFTA say in its statement?
Through the statement, BAFTA also mentioned that it wanted to “apologise unreservedly” to Michael and Delroy. The statement read, “We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.
“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
The organisation also acknowledged John, who chose to step out after the incident and watched the rest of the ceremony from a screen.
It said, “During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him. We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.”
“We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy,” concluded the statement.
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