Chris Brown Forced to Cancel Australia Tour Amid Visa and Domestic Violence Issues
Chris Brown was forced to cancel his Australia and New Zealand tours after authorities refused to issue him a visa because of his domestic violence issues.
The R&B singer was supposed to hold concert tours in Australia and New Zealand in December, but his promoters recently announced that the event was canceled and they would issue refunds for fans who already purchased tickets. Australian authorities had earlier warned Chris Brown that his criminal conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna might get in the way of his visa processing, according to CBS News.
In September, Australia's immigration department notified him that his visa request was denied. He was also given 28 days to submit a written statement explaining why he should be allowed to enter the country, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
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Former Immigration Minister Mihcaelia Cash had earlier encouraged authorities not to issue the singer a visa because of his domestic violence issue. Activists had also demanded to ban Brown because he was proven guilty of felony assault when he attacked Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy Awards, the report details.
"People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you: 'You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia,'" CBS quotes Cash's statement to reporters at the time.
Brown was also supposed to perform in Auckland, New Zealand, but he had reportedly withdrawn his visa application even before immigration authorities ruled on it. They also said the R&B artist would have needed to acquire a special visa to enter the country because of previous bans in other countries. Brown was able to successfully procure a visa in 2008, the report relays.
In light of the what happened, Chris Brown's publicist issued a statement saying the singer respected the decision of the Australian immigration department. He also thanked his fans for their support and hoped that he would be able to have a successful tour in the country in the future.
