Chris Brown is set to hold a concert in South Africa and has already sold more than 94,000 tickets for it. However, the concert may not happen due to it being protested by women’s rights campaigners.
According to reports, Women for Change, an advocacy group in South Africa, has put together a petition to stop the singer from having his concert there. The petition has since received 20,000 signatures. Sabrina Walter, executive director of the group said, “When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed.”
She continued, “The petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women. When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a damaging message- that fame and power outweigh accountability.”
Brown’s history of violence against women may be the reason that the women are protesting him. In 2009, the singer pleaded guilty to assault of his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. He would later be sentenced to five years probation, counseling, and community service. Chris Brown has previously been banned from other countries such as New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and Australia.