Women’s rights activists have responded to Chris Brown’s performance in South Africa by launching a petition to ban him.

October 13, 2024 | 02:30 PM ET |

American singer-songwriter and dancer, Chris Brown sold more than 94,000 tickets to his forthcoming concert in South Africa, but there has also been criticism by women’s rights campaigners of his visit to a country that has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world.

The BBC reports that Women for Change, an advocacy group in the country, has started a petition to stop Brown from performing. It has so far reached 20,000 signatures.

It quotes the executive director Sabina Walter saying, “When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed.

“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 has been accused of violence against women in the past. In 2009, after a fight on the way to the Grammy Awards, he entered a guilty plea to assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He was given a five-year probationary period, community service, and counseling at the time.

In the past, he has been prohibited from visiting the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, among other nations.