By SIMON LEO BROWN/ABC 774 MELBOURNE
Posters advertising singer Chris Brown‘s Melbourne tour date have been targeted by activists protesting the show.
At least one poster has been replaced after activists pasted a sticker on the poster reading: “I beat women”.
The sticker refers to the singer’s 2009 assault on his then partner, pop star Rihanna.
Brown was convicted of felony assault over the attack and sentenced to 1,400 hours’ community labour.
Brown announced he would perform at Rod Laver Arena on December 12 as part of his One Hell of a Nite tour.
This is not the first time Brown has been the target of a sticker campaign because of his history of domestic violence.
In 2012, stickers reading “Warning – do not buy this album! This man beats women” were placed on Brown’s CDs for sale at a major London record store.
Get Up starts petition over Chris Brown tour
Activist group Get Up has started a petition urging Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to refuse Brown an Australian visa.
Get Up campaigner Sally Rugg said Brown’s tour provided an “obvious way” for the group to talk about the issue of domestic violence.
“Chris Brown’s Australian tour was announced last Thursday night, and immediately we got a couple of emails from Get Up members asking if we were going to do something,” Ms Rugg told 774 ABC Melbourne’s Francis Leach.
She said anyone who wished to obtain an Australian visa must pass a character test, which precluded anyone with a substantive criminal record.
“If we stand by in silence while Chris Brown is allowed to come in and tour the country, we are implicitly sending this message… that if you brutally assault a woman, it will not be too long before all is forgiven and forgotten,” Ms Rugg said.
New Zealand’s immigration minister has said the country would not give Brown a visa, as he had already been barred from entering the UK on character grounds.
“We are really hoping that Australia falls in line with our peers and also refuses him,” Ms Rugg said.
She said the petition was in its “early days” and the group had not yet contacted the Immigration Department directly.
This post originally appeared on ABC Online.
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Top Comments
This thugs visa is already under review, Micheala Cash was involved in getting Floyd Mayweathers visa revoked a few years ago, Im sure she can do it again,
http://www.smh.com.au/feder...
Gosh I cannot stand this tool! Petition signed.
Couldn't have said it better myself! Kanye is just as much of a tool ... wish we could sign a petition to not let that fool in this country ...