BBC edits out “Free Palestine” from BAFTA winner's speech

• The BBC is facing backlash for editing out filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.’s "Free Palestine" dedication from the 2026 BAFTA broadcast.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is facing criticism following its decision to edit out a reference to "free Palestine" from a winner's acceptance speech at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards.

The incident involved filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr., who, alongside his brother Wale Davies, received the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for their film My Father's Shadow.

Davies Jr. dedicated his award to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children.”

“To the economic migrant. The conflict migrant. Those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution, and those experiencing genocide. You matter. Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home.

“Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever. For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine,” he concluded.

In the BBC's broadcast, which aired on a two-hour delay and condensed the three-hour event into two hours, this portion was removed.

Instead, the edited version focused solely on Davies Jr.'s thanks to his family and collaborators.

A BBC spokesperson said that the cuts were necessary to meet time constraints, noting that similar edits were applied to other speeches throughout the evening.

The corporation emphasized that all complete acceptance speeches, including Davies Jr.'s unedited version, were made available on the BAFTA YouTube channel for public viewing.

The editing choice has sparked accusations of selective censorship, particularly when contrasted with another controversial moment from the same ceremony.

Tourette's syndrome advocate John Davidson, who was invited to participate, involuntarily shouted a racial slur—the N-word—directed at presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo during their onstage segment.

This outburst, explained by host Alan Cumming as an involuntary tic associated with Davidson's condition, was not initially removed from the broadcast despite the delay.

The incident remained accessible on BBC iPlayer overnight before the program was temporarily withdrawn for re-editing on Saturday.

Critics have highlighted the apparent inconsistency in the BBC's editing priorities, questioning why a political statement on Palestine was excised while the racial slur was allowed to air.

Social media reactions and advocacy groups have labeled the decision as biased, reigniting debates over the broadcaster's handling of content related to Palestine.

This controversy echoes prior scrutiny of the BBC, including complaints about its coverage of Gaza and decisions not to air certain documentaries on Palestinian issues.

In response to the backlash over the racial slur, the BBC issued multiple apologies, acknowledging that the language was offensive and should have been edited out prior to transmission.

A statement clarified: "This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast."

Presenters Jordan and Lindo handled the moment professionally onstage, though reports indicate they received a subsequent apology from BAFTA organizers.