BBC Cuts 'Free Palestine' From Akinola Davies Jr.'s BAFTAs Speech

Variety

by Ellise Shafer

February 23, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Akinola Davies Jr., director of *My Father’s Shadow*, faced backlash after the BBC cut his politically charged statement “free Palestine” from his BAFTA Film Awards speech. During the ceremony, Davies Jr. delivered a powerful message about the importance of storytelling for marginalized communities, ending with a call to “free Palestine.” However, when the awards show aired on BBC One and iPlayer two hours later, this portion of his speech was entirely omitted. The BBC typically edits the three-hour ceremony down to two hours, but the removal of Davies Jr.’s statement sparked outrage, particularly since other controversial moments—such as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo shouting the N-word during their presentation—were included in the broadcast. The omission occurred despite the fact that Davies Jr.’s speech was one of the few politically charged moments at the ceremony. His remarks highlighted the struggles faced by underrepresented groups, including economic migrants, those under occupation, and communities experiencing persecution. The director’s closing line, “free Palestine,” aimed to connect these issues to global human rights concerns, emphasizing solidarity with oppressed populations worldwide. However, the BBC’s decision to exclude this part of his speech left many questioning whether political or cultural sensitivities played a role in the editing process. The controversy gained further attention due to other incidents at the ceremony, such as John Davidson, a Tourette’s syndrome advocate, using offensive language during his attendance. While the BAFTAs host addressed this as an involuntary tic related to Tourette’s syndrome, the BBC chose to include the N-word in its broadcast, leading to widespread debate on social media. Critics argued that the network’s inconsistency in handling controversial content—keeping some outbursts while omitting others—undermined its credibility. This incident highlights broader concerns about censorship and political correctness in

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Originally published on Variety on 2/23/2026