LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson fans held candlelight vigils around the world Saturday to support the pop star as he faces allegations of child molestation.
Faisal Malik, 29, a Los Angeles fan who helped organize a gathering near Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said he believes the performer is innocent.
"No other entertainer ever has opened his house so much to people," Malik said. "True charity comes from the heart."
Rallies were scheduled through the weekend in more than a dozen cities, including New York, Budapest and Rome. Others were planned over the next week in China and Australia.
Jackson surrendered to Santa Barbara County authorities on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued alleging that he committed lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14. Authorities have said they expect to file formal charges sometime after Thanksgiving.
After posting $3 million bail, Jackson flew to Las Vegas, where he had been working on a video. But his attorney, Mark Geragos, said he planned to meet with Jackson at the star’s Neverland ranch near Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Supporters in Rome gathered at the foot of the Spanish Steps just after darkness fell. They held candles and a sign in Italian that read: "Michael: Accused but not guilty!"
"There is an interest to see him fall as a man and as an artist," said Fabrizio Basili, a 30-year-old man from Rome who wore a black shirt bearing the image of Jackson’s face. "His album ‘Number Ones’ came out with some of his great hits, and the same day the accusations came and this is why we’re suspicious."
In Paris, about 60 fans gathered on the Champs Elysees and marched through crowds of shoppers to the Arc de Triomphe. They held candles and banners with slogans of support and sang "We Are the World," the 1985 African famine relief anthem written by Jackson and Lionel Richie.
"It’s really hard for us," said Pascale Hatot, a 37-year-old fan from the suburbs of Paris. "I haven’t been able to sleep or eat for three days."
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