Los Angeles, February 25 – The BAFTA awards committee has issued a statement regarding the allegedly offensive remark that was heard during the ceremony.
The committee has stated that the alleged sound made by John Davidson was a result of a verbal tic caused by Tourette Syndrome.
They posted on their social media, sharing a long note explaining what happened at the ceremony. They wrote, "At the BAFTA Film Awards last night, our guests heard very offensive language that carries immense trauma and pain for many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened, and apologize to everyone. One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has dedicated his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual's beliefs and are not intentional."
They further mentioned, "John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience. We take our 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 unreservedly apologize to them, and to all those affected. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism. 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 apologize 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," they added.
