BAFTA reacts to racist slur from man with Tourette syndrome during ceremony

The British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA, has reacted to the racial slur yelled by John Davidson who suffers from Tourette syndrome.

The incident, which happened during the 79th awards ceremony in London, sparked outrage and mixed reactions from viewers and the stars present at the event.

Davidson, who had explained that he might get tics before the event, yelled the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, while they were on stage.

BAFTA, however, apologised for the incident, stating that it is an offensive language that could be traumatic for so many people.

”It is a very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. 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,” they stated.

The organisation also apologised to Black actors, Jordan and Lindo, thanking them for being professional despite the incident.

”We apologise unreservedly to [Jordan and Lindo], and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism,” BAFTA said.

Davidson, also explained that his tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of his beliefs.