Britney Spears: Free Britney movement vital in 'freeing' star

ITV News' US Correspondent Emma Murphy heard from ecstatic Free Britney campaigners after the ruling

Not many armies march in bright pink, fewer still in heels and fake fur stoles but the Free Britney Army does - they have now won a battle and are very close to winning their war.Britney’s fans know it’s easy to dismiss them as young, eccentric and a little bit obsessed.

Yet they have defied those who doubted their claims, forcing a courtroom showdown which has exposed a situation far worse than the one they originally suspected.

Britney's fans credit the Free Britney movement for her legal success

Their campaign began in bedrooms on phones. Young people wondering what was going on with their idol.

They knew she was under a conservatorship but quite what the true detail was they weren’t sure. All they knew was she wasn’t happy with the arrangement and had vowed not to perform again.Frustrated they tried to find out more, began a social media campaign, started small protests and it has grown from there.This rag-tag, colourful army began with a few small protests and grew in size and significance.

Britney Spears' attorney, Mathew Rosengart, says Wednesday's court hearing was a monumental day

They are now credited with raising the profile of Britney’s conservatorship enough for it to become an issue for the courts.

In so doing they have made the public aware of a legal article which affects the lives of 1.3 million Americans.

For many it is valid protection to shield the vulnerable from abuse but for some families it is an dangerous abuse that is cloaked in legal secrecy.Britney Spears will soon be free of her restraints - the work of her fans may also make this country more aware of the plight of others who do no have their own army of vocal fans.

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