Baftas interrupted by racist slur from man with Tourette syndrome

It was the clip heard around the world after Monday’s BAFTA ceremony in London — a man yelling the n-word as two celebrated Black actors, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, presented an award on stage.

The man was John Davidson, the subject of the British indie film I Swear, about a man with Tourette syndrome. Davidson, who has long campaigned for awareness of the condition, told CNN before the ceremony that he was worried about the involuntary tics that mark it.

The actor Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson in the film, went on to win the night’s award for best actor. Davidson said the young English actor studied him closely, asking questions like, “When you have a tic do you know where it comes from? What about tic triggers?” Speaking on the crowded red carpet, Davidson went on: “Certain things — like today, lots of people around, I’m feeling very, you know, more tics in case I lash out. Different situations can trigger different emotions and tics and stuff.”