It’s unlikely the “Free Brittney” campaign being pushed by Hillary Clinton will go viral in Russia, but a former presidential candidate can dream.
The 2016 Democratic nominee tweeted for the release of basketball star Brittney Griner, who is incarcerated in Russia, by drumming up a slight variation of the “Free Britney” tagline made popular when pop star Britney Spears was fighting to end her conservatorship in 2021.
Griner was arrested at an airport outside Moscow last month by Russian authorities, who claim she was in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Little is known about the 31-year-old’s detainment.
She was apprehended as tensions rose between Russia and the West in the buildup to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. There are concerns that hostilities between the U.S. and Russia could complicate her case.
If convicted, the superstar, who was in Russia to play basketball, could spend a decade in a foreign penitentiary.
The Russian government restricted access to Twitter as its state-run news agencies reportedly continue to misinform the public about the nature of the war against Ukraine.
The hashtag campaign to free Spears met with a happy ending for fans of the “Criminal” singer, who won a five-month legal battle to wrestle control of her financial and business affairs from her father in November. The 39-year-old star’s professional matters had been handled by her dad for the nearly 14 years.
The “Free Britney” movement can be traced back to 2019.
Clinton, who got nearly 66 million votes in the 2016 presidential election, has more than 31 million followers on Twitter. NBA stars Grant Hill and LeBron James campaigned with Clinton during her unsuccessful run for the White House.
She also began the 21st century serving simultaneously as the nation’s first lady and a New York senator.
