Filmmaker Asif Kapadia has issued a statement saying he is “mortified” by the “hurt and offence” caused by some of his retweets on Twitter (X).
The statement follows The Grierson Trust’s removal of Kapadia as a patron of the charity days after his appointment.
The Grierson Trusts rescinded his appointment saying “Since the Grierson Trust announced that Asif Kapadia had been appointed as one of our patrons, some social media posts shared by him have been drawn to our attention which are anti-Semitic. As a result, at an 8am board meeting this morning, we took the decision to rescind his role as patron of the Trust.
“When we made the decision to appoint Mr Kapadia, the board was not aware of these posts, some of which appear to be no longer available, and we are sorry that our due diligence was not thorough enough.
“The Grierson Trust is deeply committed to promoting both freedom of speech and diversity and inclusion in the documentary industry. Whilst we accept and support that everyone has a legitimate right to express their views on controversial issues, this cannot justify racist statements or behaviour. As we have stressed in the past and will continue to uphold, the Trust has a zero tolerance approach to racism of all kinds.
Kapadia said: “I’m mortified by the hurt and offence that some of my retweets have caused. I now understand that they will be seen by many as antisemitic, or in the case of one even justifying violence. That was not my intention.
“Like many I feel passionate about the fate of the Palestinian & Lebanese people and the suffering they have endured over the years, but I am equally passionate about all anti-racism and condemn all forms of antisemitism. I unequivocally apologise for these ill-judged reposts which were posted in haste with a lack of due consideration.”
Jon Creamer
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