Chris Brown is headed to South Africa for two concerts in December, but women’s rights groups have launched a petition to ban him from the stage due to his alleged history of abuse. It started.
Women for Change launched a petition on Change.org on Oct. 2 to stop Brown, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna and was sentenced to probation and community work. As of this article, it has gathered over 28,000 signatures. South Africa has a long history of abuse and has one of the “highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world,” the BBC reports. According to the petition, the group is calling on promoters, the South African government and organizers to “reconsider” the artist’s performance at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium in mid-December.
“His concert comes days after the global commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an event that connects millions of women affected by violence in South Africa and around the world. This is a direct insult to the girl,” the petition reads.
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and extremely disappointed,” Sabina Walter, executive director of Women for Change, told the BBC. “This petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women.”
She continued: “When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a harmful message that fame and power trump accountability.”
Billboard has reached out to Brown for comment.
Fan demand for Brown’s first concert at FNB Stadium was so great that tickets sold out within two hours and a second show was added at the 94,000-seat stadium.
Brown has faced problems performing in the past due to his legal background in countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Two shows in South Africa are currently scheduled for December 14th and December 15th.
A documentary about Chris Brown’s abuse allegations will be released on the Investigation Discovery network later this month. Chris Brown: A History of Violence will be published on ID on October 27th as part of the network’s “No Excuses for Abuse” campaign, which further explores his legal issues. The doc features an unidentified victim who is the first to come forward with allegations of abuse from Brown.
