Ashley Banjo has admitted that he is still a victim of online abuse 18 months after his group Diversity debuted their Black Lives Matter inspired routine. 

The dance troupe sparked controversy with their Britain’s Got Talent performance, which featured the portrayal of a policeman kneeling on Ashley’s neck. It accumulated approximately 24,500 Ofcom complaints. 

The group’s leader Ashley, 33, recently appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss the dance, which triggered the trolls to rush to their keyboards once again.  

‘It happens all the time’: Ashley Banjo admitted that he’s still subject to social media abuse following Diversity’s BLM routine which sparked over 24,000 Ofcom complaints (pictured 2021)

Admitting the abuse is something which ‘happens all the time,’ Ashley added to The Mirror: ‘I did this slot on GMB to talk about how life-changing it was winning a BAFTA for the routine and I went on Twitter afterwards, and it was just like a stream of comments. The negative ones always cut through.’  

The street dance group, who were triumphant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, are currently on their nationwide Connected tour. 

They have incorporated the famous routine into their set and Ashley admitted there is still an element of nerves when it comes to performing it.

Sparking debate: The dance troupe sparked controversy with their Britain’s Got Talent performance (September 2020) which featured the portrayal of a policeman kneeling on Ashley’s neck

‘Every night, I go down and take that knee and there’s a little part of me that just kind of goes, “I wonder what’s gonna happen”. You just don’t know,’ he said.

The London-based group never got to perform it to a crowd before now due to Covid, but has been well-received by fans. 

The remainder of the tour comprises 75 shows and wraps up in mid June. Next week they’ll complete a stint of shows at The London Palladium. 

Talking point: The street dance group, who were triumphant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, are currently on their nationwide Connected tour. They have incorporated the famous routine into their set

Ashley has previously described the dance routine in full, stipulating that Diversity were giving a ‘summary of 2020’ with their performance tackling topics like lockdown, COVID-19, the NHS, George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement.   

‘It was layered, it was something we wanted to bring to the stage to bring hope but also not to shy away from difficult conversations and difficult issues that have arisen,’ he said of the dance.

‘That’s exactly why the question whether Britain’s Got Talent was the right platform was one that I just can’t get on board with. 

Nerves: ‘Every night, I go down and take that knee and there’s a little part of me that just kind of goes, “I wonder what’s gonna happen”. You just don’t know,’ Ashley said

‘If an artist or creative can’t use real world issues, universal issues, to inspire their art and come through how they express them then what’s the point?

‘Britain’s Got Talent has been a stage for so many incredible performers, artists and talents who want to express all different kinds of emotions and views, and stories, human ones.

‘Of course political ideas are going to work into performances because it affects us every single day, universal things that affect us, that is what art is; it’s an expression of how we feel and this set of 2020 is exactly that,’ he said. 

Verdict: Ashley has previously described the dance routine in full, stipulating that Diversity were giving a ‘summary of 2020’ (pictured September 2020)

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