Jackson celebrates court victory with online fanfare Tue Jun 14, 1:34 PM ET



LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Pop star Michael Jackson hailed his acquittal on child sex charges with a grandiose online celebration that likened his victory to the release of Nelson Mandela and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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"V is vindication," proclaimed the superstar's website MJJsource.com in a music-soaked presentation under the banner "Innocent," which featured an image of a hand offering Jackson's trademark "V" for "victory" sign.

"Remember this day, for it is a part of history," declared a headline after recalling the February 11, 1990 release of South African political prisoner and future president Mandela, the November 9, 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the January 15, 1929 birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

"The truth runs marathons," the website said after a jury on Monday cleared Jackson of 10 charges, including child molestation, that could have put him behind bars for two decades.

The panel in the California town of Santa Maria found the eccentric superstar not guilty on all counts after a dramatic four-and-a-half-month trial that tested the frail star's psychological and physical resilience.

Jackson on Tuesday was at his Neverland ranch, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Santa Maria, recovering from the humiliating ordeal that began with his dramatic arrest 19 months ago.

Jackson had denied any wrongdoing in the case, in which he was accused of fondling a 13-year-old cancer patient at Neverland two years ago, plying the boy with liquor and plotting to kidnap him and his family.

The superstar did not comment to reporters or speak to fans following his stunning acquittal; the only comments on his victory came from family members, his lawyer and his website.
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Wow. So if he's like Nelson Mandela, then maybe I really am King Arthur! I've always suspected that I was.