Stand-up comedian Nabil Abdulrashid delivered an explosive routine during the Britain’s Got Talent final, tackling racism and Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired dance.
The south London native, who secured a golden buzzer from Alesha Dixon earlier in the competition, addressed the number of complaints the ITV show has prompted this series.
Earlier in the series, the Diversity routine sparked more than 24,000 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
Unapologetically FUNNY! @Nabilu just knows how to make everything exhilaratingly funny! 🤣🤣 #BGT #BGTFinal pic.twitter.com/7L2EalG0tA
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However, Ofcom said it would not investigate the incident and ITV also praised the dance troupe for their “authentic, heartfelt” routine.
Arriving on stage, Abdulrashid said: “I am glad we are here. I thought we wouldn’t make it. A lot of complaints. They complained because we said Black Lives Matter. Thousands of complaints.
“I am shocked so many of them know how to write. Hopefully if I annoy them today they can progress on to words.
“They even wrote complaints about me. That’s what upsets me. What did I say to offend anybody?
Look's like @Nabilu's ready to take on whatever the world throws at him! 🤣🤣 #BGT #BGTFinal pic.twitter.com/EQhJ59mDru
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“You would think I came out here and said something really inflammatory like, ‘Winston Churchill was black’.
“But really, he was. And I can prove it. If you don’t believe me, when was the last time you met a white man named Winston?”
A statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into Bristol Harbour during a Black Lives Matter march on June 7.
Abdulrashid said: “We aren’t trying to protest and destroy buildings. Black people have real problems. That is not us.
“I can prove it. In Bristol that statue got taken down, none of the people there was black.
“You know how I know? Because they did it in front of the police and nobody got arrested, Tasered or pepper sprayed.”
Signing off, he said: “I hope I win tonight because it will make history, but I am already sad because I know that if I do people will deconstruct it and say I only won because I am black.
“The same way they said Alesha only gave me a golden buzzer because I am black, even though I am the first black person she has given a buzzer to in three years.”
After, Dixon said: “Every time you perform I am on the edge of my seat,” before adding: “I kind of like the fact you make me feel nervous.”
Fellow judge and Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo added: “I know what it is like to get a few complaints. There are two ways you can react.
“You can either bend to the pressure or be unapologetically yourself. And it is pretty obvious to me which one you chose.
“It’s not even just about being black. It is about being unapologetically you.”
Addressing the number of complaints she drew for her low-cut dress in one semi-final, Amanda Holden quipped: “So do I.”