Brian Wilson urges fans to boycott The Beach Boys over hunting event featuring Trump Jr.
Brian Wilson, who co-founded The Beach Boys, is now urging fans to boycott the legendary band. In a tweet on Monday, Wilson shared that the band, which he is no longer a part of, would be performing at The Safari Club International convention – a trophy hunting event where Donald Trump Jr. will be the keynote speaker.
"This organization supports trophy hunting, which Both Al and I are emphatically opposed to," Wilson tweeted, referring to bandmate Al Jardine. "There's nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition." He linked to a change.org petition titled: Tell the Beach Boys to Say No to Trophy Hunting.
This organization supports trophy hunting, which Both Al and I are emphatically opposed to. There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition at https://t.co/vOUtJDq6t2
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) February 3, 2020
The petition, which was not created by Wilson, said The Beach Boys are set to perform at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada on Wednesday. The change.org page also included a letter to the Beach Boys' manager Elliott Lott.
Safari Club International says the convention is a place where "members come to book hunts, rendezvous with old friends and shop for the latest guns and hunting equipment." Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric, are longtime trophy-hunters.
The change.org letter states those who sign the petition pledge to stop buying or downloading the band's music, going to their concerts and purchasing merchandise until they withdraw from the convention "and publicly state their opposition to this sick 'sport' of killing animals for 'fun.'"
"We will call on the Beach Boys' record label, agent and publicists to disown the Beach Boys, and on members of the public to protest at forthcoming Beach Boys concerts, unless they do so," the letter continues. The Beach Boys are currently fronted by original band member Mike Love.
Nearly 80,000 people have signed the petition so far.