Chris Brown Denied Entry to Canada, Won't be Able to Join Trey Songz and Tyga in Scheduled Concerts
Chris Brown, 25, announced Tuesday via his Twitter account that he has been denied entry by the Canadian government, just before the start of his show in Montreal. His tweet reads: "The good people of the Canadian government wouldn't allow me entry. I'll be back this summer and will hopefully see all my Canadian fans!"
Brown was scheduled to perform in a show at the Bell Centre in Montreal Tuesday night and in another show at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto the following evening, both with Trey Sonz and Tyga. In an earlier tweet, he said: "Unfortunately I will not be able to perform in front of sold out crowds in Montreal & Toronto."
The R&B singer's ban was due to "immigration issues," tour promoter Live Nation reportedly said in a statement according to People.
As observed by TMZ, Canadian law dictates a person could be "criminally inadmissible" if they have been convicted of a crime involving assault. Brown has had several skirmishes with the law, including the highly-publicized domestic violence case in 2009 involving his then steady girlfriend Rihanna, for which he was charged with felony assault. He was also arrested for felony assault in Washington, D.C., in 2013 for punching a fan who only wanted to join his women friends in a group photo with him.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Brown isn't totally free yet. He is still on probation and has to see a psychiatrist twice a week, complete his remaining community service, take his prescribed medication and stay off marijuana, including for medical use.
Canada isn't the first country to deny entry to Brown because of his criminal record. Back in June 2010, his application for a visa to enter the UK was also refused on the grounds of him "being guilty of a serious criminal offense" due to his felony assault against Rihanna.