Marilyn Manson—born Brian Warner—has seen at least one other show recently canceled. Campaigning groups and local elected officials applied a great deal of pressure on the event organizers to arrive at this decision. The concert will take place on the 29th of October. As part of his One Assasination Under God Tour, that will happen at the Brighton Centre. Manson’s decision comes in the wake of serious allegations made by a number of women. Among these are claims of rape, sexual violence, and injury.
In January, prosecutors in California dismissed the case against Manson, concluding that the time limit had expired. As an independent prosecutor, they found themselves unable to come up with any charges that would establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Despite Manson having been legally cleared of such claims, accusations made against him led to waves of public outrage and call-out campaigns. This adverse response was exacerbated following powerful allegations made by actors such as Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco.
The digital grassroots advocacy group No Stage for Abusers organized a passionate campaign against Manson’s performance. They called on the Brighton Centre and the Brighton and Hove city council to withdraw the concert. Green Party MP Siân Berry articulated that frustration in an open letter. In her letter to Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove city council. The letter was supported by organizations including Students for Climate Action and the University of Sussex students’ union.
Instead, Berry laid out compelling and well-reasoned justifications for the cancellation. She reached her decision based on the cumulative harm it would do to abuse survivors and the larger community. She stated, “Many survivors in Brighton and Hove, and organisations supporting them, will have serious concerns about this booking and its wider impact on other people visiting the city centre, local residents and the wider community.” Additionally, she emphasized that “the council has a responsibility to take action where there are risks of discrimination, harassment and victimisation.”
The decision to cancel the concert has ignited discussions regarding the implications of “cancel culture.” Many people believe it will put off performers from featuring Brighton on their tour itineraries. An unnamed source remarked, “This is cancel culture, nothing more, and it’ll backfire when artists don’t add a Brighton and Hove date to their tours and stick to London, which incidentally hasn’t banned [Marilyn Manson] from their city.”