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'POWERFUL'
Ashley Banjo performs BLM dance routine on Britain’s Got Talent tonight with a cop kneeling on him
BRITAIN'S Got Talent's Ashley Banjo is reunited with his Diversity co-stars for a special routine about Black Lives Matter tonight.
The 31-year-old judge, who is standing in for Simon Cowell, performs an extraordinary dance which sees a white police officer kneeling on him.
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The group, which includes Dancing On Ice's Perri Kiely, then all drop down on one knee as haunting vocals sing "I can't breathe."
It is a direct reference to the death of George Floyd in the US after white officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, sparking BLM protests around the world.
Diversity then perform their spectacular trademark spinning dance moves in front of backing dancers dressed as riot police with shields.
Sirens are then heard and smoke fills the stage after a rap that begins: "While we all were hidden, under orders of the Prime Minister, people dusted off their instincts and noticed something more sinister.
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"Another disease, deep rooted in our system, fear, hate and ignorance, but racism was the symptom."
The remarkable performance also addresses modern subjects including the coronavirus, capitalism, and the growth of delivery services like Amazon.
It is branded "powerful" by Dec Donnelly moments after it ends.
Ashley told The Sun Online: "This performance is extremely special to me and the rest of Diversity.
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"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 had the strong backing of BGT boss Simon Cowell to take his place while he recovers from a shocking bike accident in LA.
He said: “Ashley will be a fantastic addition to the panel. He knows the power of the show and the responsibility of it.
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