Thousands sign petition to bar Chris Brown from performing in South Africa

Women For Change, a South African non-profit organisation (NGO), has launched a petition to prevent Chris Brown from performing at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on December 14.

The concert, which was announced in September, has sold out, but the NGO is urging the South African government to deny Brown a visa entry into the country due to his “history of violence against women”.

Brown was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. He has also faced multiple accusations of violence against other women.

The organisation argued that allowing him to perform in South Africa would be a “direct insult” to women and girls affected by gender-based violence, particularly given the show’s timing, which falls just days after the “global commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence”.

“Women For Change calls on concert organisers ‘big concerts’, promoters, and the South African government to reconsider the decision to allow Chris Brown to perform in Johannesburg on 14 December 2024,” the petition reads in part.

“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.

“Chris Brown has a well-documented history of violence towards several women. In 2009, he was convicted of brutally assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, a case that sparked global outrage.

“Despite his conviction, his troubling behaviour has continued, with multiple accusations of violence against other women, with ‘Quiet on Set’ Producers Announce the ‘Chris Brown: A History of Violence’ Documentary, which will premiere this October.”