Demonstrators Who Want to 'Free' Britney Spears Hold Up Colorful Posters

Demonstrators who said that 37-year-old pop icon Britney Spears must be freed from her conservatorship held up colorful posters as they marched in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, California, on September 18.

Spears, who checked into a mental health facility for a monthlong stay in April, is subject to a conservatorship in which Jamie Spears, her father, is her legal guardian and has control over her financial decisions. The arrangement was put in place in 2008, following a number of widely reported incidents, including Britney shaving her head and driving with a baby in her lap.

The rally was organized by fans and supporters of the pop star, who yelled “Free Britney” outside the courthouse. Posters held up in support of the pop star included the phrases “End the Toxic Conservatorship,” “Justice for Britney,” and “She’s not your property.”

The hashtag #freebritney has been growing in popularity in recent months ahead of the court hearing on September 18, despite Spears offering no public indication that she wanted to be released from the arrangement.

In January 2019, Spears announced that she was canceling her Las Vegas residency after more than six years. She had been due to launch a new show called Domination, but said she needed to take time out for family.

The singer rose to mega-stardom in the late 1990s with her album Hit Me Baby One More Time. Before that, she was a cast member on Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside other future stars such as Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling. Credit: Junior Olivas via Storyful