Diversity get controversial, bringing BLM to Britain’s Got Talent

THOSE of you watching Saturday night TV will probably have tuned in to enjoy the second night of the return of the people’s favourite Britain’s Got Talent.

With the second night of the semi-finals underway after a long break, there have been many changes to adapt to the health measures during the coronavirus crisis, including pre-recorded performances and amazing virtual audiences.

However, the talking point last night was a bit more controversial, the highly emotionally charged performance by dance troupe Diversity who wowed BGT fans with a number based around the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of Black American George Floyd at the hands of U.S. police officers.

The dance company, from London, are best known for winning the series 3 of BGT in 2009 and have become stars in their own right.

The performance featured the dancers donning black riot gear, dancing with riot shield props and most shockingly a policeman putting his knee on the group’s leader Ashley Banjo’s neck.

Banjo is reported to have said that ‘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.’

Britain’s Got Talent fans took to social media to praise the troupe for such a daring and provocative move following riots and protests all over the world dealing with the subject of racism and police brutality. Some claimed to have even been brought to tears.

George Floyd was killed during an arrest after a shop worker alleged he had used a fake 20 dollar note whilst making a purchase at a store in Minneapolis. A white police officer named Derek Chauvin had restrained Floyd by kneeling on the back of his neck which is said to be one of the main reasons for his death.

Since then protests against police brutality towards black people quickly spread across the globe. Most recently thousands gathered on Friday, August 28 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. as a call for overall criminal justice restructuring and racial equality. It also honoured the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech from the same location.