Three members of the Russian feminist punk-rock group Pussy Riot are on trial for hoolaginism driven by religious hatred for performing a punk prayer entitled "Holy Shit" at the altar of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow in February of this year.
The group's act was to ask the Virgin Mary to throw out Vladimir Putin, who had received support from Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in his run for the Russian Presidency, though he already served as President from 2000-2008. Kirill has called the event "blasphemous," stating, "We have no future if we allow mocking in front of great shrines, and if some see such mocking as some sort of valour, as an expression of political protest, as an acceptable action or a harmless joke." The Cathedral has long been a symbol of government corruption, since it was burned down in the 1930s and rebuilt later by Moscow's mayor, Yury Luzhkov, after raising $1bn from organized crime for its restoration, making it suitable for a Pussy Riot scene, though their main target was protesting Kirill's support for Putin.
Video of Cathedral event:
Pussy Riot comprises of about ten women aged 20-33 who became organized last year when Putin announced his run for presidency. They also campaign for women's rights, political freedom, and justice system reform. They are known for wearing brightly colored balaclavas, tights, and short skirts as they engage in flash protest performances, most notably at Red Square in January.
Seven of the performing women at the Cathedral were arrested, though three have remained in custody: Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich 29. During their jail stay, they have held hunger strikes to protest being held in custody away from their children in March and for inadequate time (two working days) to prepare their trial defense at the beginning of July, for which it was determined their stay in jail would be extended one month.
Tolokonnikova has said she did not mean to offend any believers by the display. The act was strictly political protest. Many high profile artists have come forward with support for Pussy Riot, defending their free speech, including Madonna, Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Björk, Corinne Bailey Rae, Yoko Ono, The Beastie Boys, and many more. The most recent has been Sir Paul McCartney. Pussy Riot has not performed a flash gig since the arrests.
The women could face seven years in prison. The verdict is to be served tomorrow, while supporters around the world have planned protests in New York outside Russian Consulate and in Times Square, in Paris on Stravinsky Square, and in Moscow streets at 2 pm (1000 GMT).
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