TheBAFTA Awards, which is the British equivalent ofthe Oscars, is taking a firm stance against violence, saying thatWill Smithwould have been removed from its ceremonyafter hitting someone onstage.
During Sunday night’s Oscars, Will, 53, walked onto the stage and struck Chris Rock for making a joke about his wifeJada Pinkett Smith. He was allowed to remain at his front-row seat the rest of the ceremony, and later won his first-ever Oscar for Best Actor, delivering a tear-filled speech.
Organizers for the BAFTAstoldThe Hollywood Reporterthat if the incident had happened at their event, Smith — who has sinceapologizedand said that “violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive” — would have been removed and not permitted to accept his award onstage after the altercation.
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“They would be removed from the ceremony,” Sara Putt, deputy chair of BAFTA, told the outlet when asked about their protocol. “They would not be in the buildings, so they would not physically be able to collect their award. … It’s just a complete red line for us.”
Emma Baehr, executive director of awards and content for BAFTAs, added, “We do not tolerate violence of any kind.”
This year’s BAFTA Awards were held on Sunday, March 13, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Willwon best leading actor forKing Richardthere as well, though he was not in attendance for the ceremony.
Will Smith.ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
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In a statement Sunday night, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said itdoes not condone violence of any form. Then, in another statement on Monday, it said it “condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
An industry source told PEOPLE Monday, “Behind the scenes there were a lot of people, and different voices and bifurcated opinions,weighing in on what had just happenedand what was the best and quickest course of action. People were also checking that Chris Rock was okay.”
“Basically there were just minutes to first figure out if it was a stunt and then try and get people on the same page — including the producers, ABC, the Academy, reps who were not all in the same place or all looking at their phones in real time, and even to see if Chris wanted topress charges,” the source explained.
The source added that “having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously.” They said: “You can’t plan for something like this and make a split-second decision that needs everyone’s buy-in, and in any iteration that would have consequences.”
source: people.com
