#FreeBritney Why a band of superfans are carrying on the fight

The liberation last week of Britney Spears from her nearly 14-year conservatorship was a landmark moment for the pop star.

- Dani Anguiano

It was also a once-unimaginable triumph for the #FreeBritney movement, the campaign that was largely dismissed by the public and once described by Spears's father as a “joke” run by "conspiracy theorists”.

Fans had been pushing to "free Britney” from the conservatorship for years, but the movement took off in 2019. With full-time jobs and no professional organising background, they scoured the star's social media posts for clues, examining court documents, organising online and holding demonstrations outside court hearings and concerts to raise awareness.

#FreeBritney organisers, many of whom have been fans for more than 20 years, say they were concerned about the conservatorship from the beginning but that it wasn't until allegations emerged on a 2019 podcast that Spears had been held against her will in a mental health facility that efforts gained steam.

Initially, Chris Rocha, a #FreeBritney advocate based in Fresno, California, said, people didn't take it seriously. "In the beginning a lot of people would laugh,” he said.

A security firm hired by Spears's father, Jamie, reportedly investigated and infiltrtated the group. But perception of the movement began to shift earlier this year with the release of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears.