Alesha Dixon tells fans to kiss my black a**

Alesha Dixon took to social media to tell critics to ‘kiss my black a**’ as she posted in support of Ashley Banjo and Diversity’s Black Lives Matter, inspired performance.

Alesha commented ‘they can kiss my black a**’ under an Instagram post from an angered social media user, who said: ‘We the Great British Public will only support you if you entertain us and do not say anything about racism.’

The comment referred to the BLM-inspired dance which incredibly caused more than 10,000 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom when it was performed on Britain’s Got Talent.

Critics claimed the dance, had politicised the family show, with one Twitter user insisting ‘they are a dance group, not a political movement.’

The full post read: ‘Dear Joshua, Hamilton, Banjo and any other black public figures.

We the Great British Public will only support you if you entertain us and do not say anything about racism. Thank you for your understanding.’

Ashley posted a screenshot of the message to his Instagram, and responded with:

1. You do not represent or speak for the Great British public.
2. Silence was never and will never be an option.
3. Change is inevitable… Get used to it.

Alesha wasn’t the only celebrity to show her support, as fellow Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden commented with a heart emoji.

JLS star Aston posted: ‘It’s like that yeah! Guess it’s time to speak louder for the people that can’t quite hear!’

Co-dancer Perri Kiely said: ‘On Saturday we performed with Diversity on Britain’s Got Talent.

‘Our performance covered the events of this year and the appalling messages that need to be spoken about.’

To which Jordan Banjo, Ashley’s brother and co-dancer added: ‘Of course you get some critiques but normally it’s focused on the dance. But this one was different, it was really important, it was special to us.

‘We are all about positivity and love and we got so much positivity and love back from this one.’

Jordan said that the group has been ‘bombarded’ with messages, he continued: ‘Horrible stuff about us, about our families, about how even now Diversity not diverse enough because there are only five white people in it.’

‘I feel anxious and worried saying something like Black Lives Matter when that’s all we want, love and positivity, no one is saying only Black Lives Matter.’

It comes after Banjo defended his group’s performance, calling it ‘his art’ in a previous Instagram post.

He wrote: ‘Art: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. My truth, my platform, my art.

‘I’ve always tried to create not only to entertain but also to inspire… That will never change.’

He continued: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter’ – Martin Luther King Jr.

Banjo also wrote on Sunday, just hours after the performance: ‘So much to say… But I’ll just let the performance talk. Thousands of messages of Love and support – Thank you.

‘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 #Diversity.’ Former Britain’s Got Talent champions opened Saturday’s performance by reciting a viral poem The Great Realisation by the singer Tomfoolery, about the BLM movement and police brutality.

One user wrote: ‘Disgraceful! Make political statements elsewhere not on a family TV show.’

While another commented: ‘Wrong time and place. BGT should be a lovely entertainment show not political. I had thoroughly enjoyed the show and forgot the troubles of the world and then thud!

‘So disappointed though AB was a great judge and there was no need for his performance.’

During their performance, the dance group, dressed in riot gear, recited a viral poem about the BLM movement before going on to show a policeman placing a hand over Banjo’s throat as he lay on the ground to the song I Can’t Breathe.

Banjo said in a recent interview, ‘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.’