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Elon Musk joins calls to ‘Free Britney’ on Twitter as outcry over conservatorship continues

Grimes thanked Tesla CEO for his tweet

Clémence Michallon
New York City
Monday 05 July 2021 16:08 EDT
Britney Spears fights to end conservatorship

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Elon Musk has expressed his support for Britney Spears amid the singer’s conservatorship battle.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO shared the words “Free Britney” on Monday from his Twitter account, on which he has 57.8 million followers.

Musk’s partner Grimes replied “thank u” to his tweet.

In a few hours, Musk’s message attracted more than 291,000 likes and 36,000 retweets.

“Free Britney” has been a rallying cry for supporters of the singer who have protested against the conservatorship that has ruled her life and finances for over a decade.

Spears denounced the conservatorship during a court hearing on 23 June, claiming she was made to take lithium and forced to perform live, and that she has been barred from taking her IUD out in order to have another child.

Last week, the singer’s father James Spears asked the court overseeing the conservatorship to investigate his daughter’s “serious allegations regarding forced labour, forced medical treatment and therapy, improper medical care, and limitations on personal rights”.

“Given the nature of the allegations and claims, it is critical that that the court confirm whether or not Ms Spears’ testimony was accurate in order to determine what corrective actions, if any, need to be taken,” the filing said.

James Spears was in charge of his daughter’s personal life for most of the duration of the conservatorship, but he relinquished that role in 2019. Spears’s personal decisions are now controlled by a court-appointed professional, Jodi Montgomery. James Spears now shares control of her business and financial dealings with an estate management firm.

Montgomery’s attorney Lauriann Wright told the Associated Press that Spears’s right to marry or have more children are not affected by the conservatorship, and that Montgomery has had no say in those matters since she took on the job.

“I can state unequivocally that Jodi Montgomery has been a tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being,” Wright said, adding that “it is her sincere personal wish that Britney continues to make meaningful progress in her well-being so that her conservatorship of the person can be terminated”.

Montgomery is creating a care plan with that end in mind, the statement said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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