John Davidson ‘refuses to apologise’ for having Tourette’s in statement

He said he is “deeply mortified” by what happened

Davidson's condition involves involuntary verbal tics, and the audience had been told they may hear some during the evening.

The Tourette's campaigner's racist slur was broadcast during the BBC's coverage of last Sunday's ceremony.

The incident occurred as actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were both presenting an award at the time.

Following the slur, Davidson ended up voluntarily leaving the room afterwards.

For the handling of the incident, a lot of criticism has been directed at the BAFTAs and the BBC, as the slur was left in the edit of the broadcast while other things were censored.

Davidson has now apologised for any “pain, upset and misunderstanding” that his syndrome may create, while Lindo received a standing ovation at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday when he addressed the controversy.

The 54-year-old Tourette’s campaigner, however, will “never apologise for having Tourette syndrome”.

“I’ve been waiting all week until the dust settles after the weekend at the BAFTAs in London”, Davidson wrote on Facebook.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown love, support and solidarity towards myself and the rest of the Tourette’s Community. Your kind words and support have got me through a very difficult week”.

“Whilst I will never apologise for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create”, he wrote.

“This past week has been tough, and has reminded me that what I do raising awareness for such a misunderstood condition, there is still a long way to go and I will keep on keeping on until this is achieved”, he concluded.

His Tourette’s causes him to involuntarily shout out words, and he has previously spoken about being “deeply mortified” by what happened at the BAFTAs.

The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has said it will complete a “fast-tracked investigation” into the incident, while the broadcaster has apologised for including the slur in its broadcast.

A statement and apology was also released by the BAFTAs.

“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”, BAFTAs said in a statement.