Chris Brown’s headed to South African for a pair of concerts in December, but a women’s rights advocacy group has launched a petition seeking to ban him from taking the stage due to his history of alleged abuse.
Women for Change started a petition Oct. 2 on Change.org that boasts more than 28,000 signatures as of press time, hoping to stop Brown — who pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, and was sentenced to probation and community labor — from performing in South Africa, which the BBC reports has a long history of abuse and one of the “highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.” According to the petition, the group wants the promoters, the South African government and organizers to “reconsider” allowing the artist to perform at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium in mid December.
“His concert is scheduled just days after the global commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, making this event a direct insult to the millions of women and girls affected by violence in South Africa and worldwide,” reads the petition.
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed,” Women for Change executive director Sabina Walter told the BBC. “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.”
She continued: “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.”
Billboard has reached out to Brown for comment.
The fan demand for Brown’s initial concert at FNB Stadium was so overwhelming — tickets sold out in under two hours — that a second show was added at the 94,000-capacity stadium.
Brown has faced issues for performing in the past due to his legal history in countries such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia and more. The pair of South Africa shows are currently set for Dec. 14 and Dec. 15.
A documentary surrounding Chris Brown’s alleged history of abuse is coming to the Investigation Discovery network later this month. Chris Brown: A History of Violence will land on ID on Oct. 27 as part of the network’s “No Excuse for Abuse” campaign, which will further explore his legal issues. The doc features an unidentified victim who is coming forward to tell her story of alleged abuse from Brown for the first time.
