Rosalyn Morris, this was assault.

If it had been an unknown person from the audience, they would have been apprehended, removed from the venue and possibly arrested and charged with assault. Everyone would be outraged and then relieved after the culprit gone.

Because it was Will Smith, he was allowed to return to his seat. This was unconscionable. It sent a dreadful message to all watching. It was reminiscent of Donald Trump boasting that he could shoot people on Fifth Avenue and that there are different rules for different folk.

Even allowing for understandable bewilderment of the audience, was there not one person to spell out what had happened? Was there not one person asking for Will Smith to be removed from the auditorium before the Oscars continue? Were the participants so encapsulate by their own show at the show that they saw nothing grossly disturbing but chose to remain seated?

The Academy Award staff and the venue and security managers? Where were they? Did they not see what millions of viewers saw? Audiences can be dumbstruck but management had a responsibility to intervene and reset the stage before moving on.

This was an example of a privileged (and unquestionably enormously talented) person committing a violent attack before our very eyes and getting away with it. He was actually allowed to come back on stage and be celebrated. Wow!

A person walking from the audience, onto the stage and slugging the performer. I guess no big deal.

Many thanks