UPDATE: R. Kelly revealed plans for a very unspecific tour of New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka last Tuesday on Twitter.
According to the Associated Press, Australian senior opposition lawmaker Shayne Neumann, revealed that if the tour goes forward, he wants Kelly banned from performing in the Australia.
Kelly’s tour announcement was quickly deleted after the 52-year-old was met with an influx of criticism and hatred from online users. People were urged not to support him by buying tickets. Some even questioned, “R. Kelly is going on tour instead of jail?”
As of this writing, no charges have been made against Kelly regarding his history of alleged sex crimes against young women. There is still not enough evidence for an investigation to be launched by the authorities.
“If the Immigration Minister suspects that a non-citizen does not pass the character test, or there is a risk to the community while they are in Australia, he should use the powers he has under the Migration Act to deny or cancel their visa,” said Shayne Neumann.
Despite being unable to comment on individual cases, Australia’s Home Affairs Department revealed they were able to deny entry to anyone “found not to be of good character.”
In the past, Australia has banned a number of people from entering their country, including: Chris Brown, due to his history of physical assault charges. Gavin McInnes of the all-male far-right group, the Proud Boys. Document leaker and convict, Chelsea Manning and Kent Heckenlively, who is a notorious anti-vaxxer.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Amid countless sexual-misconduct allegations levelled against him, it seems has-been singer R. Kelly is now taking advantage of his time in the spotlight.
The 52-year-old just revealed plans for an upcoming tour — one as far away from the U.S. as possible at that.
Although no details were listed, Kelly tweeted that he would be collaborating with Melbourne-based entertainment company Flamingo Dreamz, on a tour throughout Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Unsurprisingly, many people are not happy with this announcement. “See y’all soon,” Kelly wrote on Twitter.
READ MORE: R. Kelly denies all sexual misconduct allegations
It’s been only one month since the conclusion of Lifetime’s gritting and harrowing six-part docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly.
The Dream Hampton-produced exposé details the longtime controversy surrounding Kelly and his history of alleged sex crimes against a shocking number of young women.
With more than 50 conducted interviews — including quotes from former collaborators and victims of Kelly’s alleged sex crimes — Hampton hoped to expose as many allegations of predatory tendencies and sexual misconduct levelled against the singer as she could.
Kelly has denied all of these allegations.
The end goal was for enough victims of his alleged crimes to come forward that an official investigation is launched into him by the authorities.
Since the show’s conclusion, Kelly’s Chicago studio space has been investigated and he has been evicted by the property owner.
READ MORE: Authorities ask R. Kelly sex-abuse accusers, witnesses to come forward
While a small number of loyal fans were delighted with the news of a tour, many were outraged. #MuteRKelly quickly became a trending topic and users didn’t bother to pull their punches.
“Australia? Not if i can help it,” wrote an Australian Twitter user.
“Challenge accepted to alert the media and get this cancelled,” one user wrote with a middle-finger emoji.
No tour dates, venues or ticket details have been revealed yet, however, Flamingo Dreamz is an official company and has worked in the past with Ja Rule — whose career is also dwindling amid the Fyre Festival scam controversy.
READ MORE: ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ ends, but reveals more details of alleged sex abuse by singer
As of this writing, Kelly has not been charged or convicted of any of the recent allegations of sexual misconduct.
The authorities are still asking victims of Kelly’s alleged sex crimes to file complaints against the singer so they can launch further investigations.
— With files from The Associated Press
adam.wallis@globalnews.ca