Brit Awards 2026: Geese Star Max Bassin Censored During Political Speech

It’s fair to say that the censors had plenty to keep them busy during this year’s Brit Awards.

Saturday night’s Brits broadcast saw the sound being pulled on numerous occasions due to a variety of comments that were made over the course of the event.

One such moment came during musician Max Bassin’s acceptance speech, after he accepted the International Group Of The Year prize on behalf of his band Geese.

Choosing to keep things short, he began his speech by stating simply: “What’s up, ‘the Brits’? I just want to say, free Palestine…”

However, after Max said the word “free”, the audio was pulled, resulting in the rest of what he had to say being cut from broadcast.

It later emerged that Max concluded his speech: “Fuck ICE, go Geese.”

Many Brits viewers were quick to voice their upset at what appeared to be ITV censoring Max’s politically-charged speech right as the drummer was about to speak out in solidarity with Palestine.

However, in response to this backlash, the broadcaster has indicated to HuffPost UK that Max’s speech was censored due to his language after his pro-Palestine message – in other words, his use of the word “fuck” – rather than because of his political statements.

Earlier in the night, the Brits also pulled the sound when Jack Whitehall made a seemingly unscripted joke about Peter Mandelson, after spotting Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Labour minister Lisa Nandy in the awards show’s audience.

“I wonder who else is here,” he quipped. “I think I saw Peter Mandelson on the list. Oh wait, that was another list…”

Check out our round up of all the must-see moments from the 2026 Brit Awards ceremony here.