Ashley Banjo has hit back at trolls who criticized his dance group Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired performance on Saturday’s Britain’s Got Talent episode.
The dramatic routine, which referenced George Floyd’s death in May, saw Ashley being arrested by a white police officer who put his knee on his neck.
Ashley revealed on Twitter that the performance, which sparked 1,121 Ofcom complaints, was met by “thousands of hateful and ignorant” messages.
But the defiant performer, who was a stand-in judge for Simon Cowell on the show, said the negative responses only made the routine seem all the more necessary.
He wrote: “So much to say… But I’ll Just let the performance talk. Thousands of messages of Love and support – Thank you.
The dramatic routine, which referenced George Floyd’s death in May, saw Ashley being arrested by a white police officer who put his knee to his neck (Image: ITV)
“For the thousands of messages of hate and ignorance – Thank you. You highlight exactly what needs to change. Sending nothing but love to you all.”
In the performance, a police officer was seen kneeling on Ashley’s neck, as the Diversity members all dropped to one knee and said: “I can’t breathe.”
The performance was given a standing ovation from the studio audience but was met by mixed opinions from viewers at home.
Ashley was a stand in judge for Simon Cowell on the show (Image: PA)
Some said it should not be “politicized” while others praised its thought-provoking and emotive retelling of some of this year’s biggest news events.
A spokesperson for Ofcom told The Sun: “We have received a total of 1,121 complaints in relation to last Saturday’s Britain’s Got Talent, most of which related to the Diversity dance segment.
“We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
In the performance a police officer is seen kneeling on Ashley’s neck (Image: ITV)
The routine included a recital of the viral poem The Great Realistion by singer Toomfoolery about the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality.
Ashley said after the performance: “This performance is extremely special to me and the rest of Diversity. 2020 has been an incredible moment in history for both positive and negative reasons.
“We wanted to use the platform we’ve been given to make our voices heard, express how the events of this year have made us feel and think about how we might look back on them in the future. We call it hindsight 2020.”
Ashley stood in for injured Simon Cowell who broke his back in Malibu, US ,last month after falling from an electric bike.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
