Fans have launched a petition in protest to R Kelly headlining a festival, calling for organisers to ‘kick his rapist ass’ from the bill.
The ‘Ignition’ and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ veteran is due to headline Orange County’s Soulquarius Music Festival 2017, but now past unproven allegations have led fans to launch a petition against his appearance – calling for organisers to “stop booking this man, stop promoting this man”.
The petition reads: “Let’s send a message that the music is not ‘separate’ and the abuse of girls and women is *never* okay, no matter who you are or how many timeless ballads you’ve contributed to the world.”
Read the petition in full here
Getty ImagesIn 2002, Kelly denied that he was the man who appeared to be urinating on a girl in a sex tape. Later that year, he was indicted for counts of child pornography, before he was later arrested for photos being found of him “involved in sexual conduct with a female minor”. In 2007, Kelly was found not guilty on all 14 counts levelled against him.
He recently made headlines after a female fan grabbed his penis during a special Christmas gig.
Speaking back in January, R Kelly that he sympathised with Bill Cosby after sex abuse allegations were aimed at him.
“If God showed me that they were telling the truth, I would say that’s wrong. I don’t care if it was a zillion years ago,” Kelly said. “But God would have to do that, because God is the only one can show me that. No man can tell me that. No woman can tell me that. And when you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it’s strange.”
He added: “You know why I say that is because it happened to me, and it wasn’t true.”