The infamous performance of punk band Pussy Riot at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow made the three girls world-famous stars. Many music stars of global scale expressed their sympathies and support for them. They were all appalled with the news about the court sentence for the members of the band. Pop singer Madonna assumed responsibilities of a lawyer and an official spokeswoman for the Russian punk band at the same time, encouraging her colleagues in show business to protest.
U.S. President Barack Obama could not resist the temptation to criticize the Russian Themis either. Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the administration was "disappointed by the verdict, including the disproportionate sentences that were granted. While we understand the group's behavior was offensive to some, we have serious concerns about the way that these young women have been treated by the Russian judicial system."
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also pointed out "the negative effects" that the Pussy Riot case showed on the freedom of expression in Russia. She urged the Russian authorities to reconsider the case and "ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld."
Certainly, it may seem from outside that two years in prison for the girls is really too strict a punishment. One should bear in mind the fact that all that the general public knows about Pussy Riot is the fact that the girl sang a song against Putin at the temple, after which Putin decided to take revenge on them cruelly.
Also read: The PR of Pussy Riot
On the other hand, the court has treated the hooligans gently enough. The term that the girls will have to serve is shorter than prosecutors and the law demanded. However, the supporters of Pussy Riot pay little attention to the legal details of the case (as well as to the details of how the performance was conducted). They focus primarily on the personalities of the "victims," calling them smart, talented, beautiful, sexy and so on. They say nothing about the creative way and the legacy of the band. The legacy is just as bright and "heroic" as the act at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
In addition to their interest in music (although, even die-hard fans of punk can only wince at the music that Pussy Riot played), the girls were members of the so-called art group Voina, which translates into English as 'war'. The "art" of the art group was also quite original.
Voina became famous for staging a porn orgy in the Biological Museum in Moscow in broad daylight. Stark naked, the members of the group began to copulate right in front of astonished visitors. The "artists" did not stop their action in spite of the fact that there were small children watching them.
As part of another "performance," the members of the group spray-painted the graphic image of male genitals (read article about it) on one of the bascule bridges in St. Petersburg. The white-paint image, 65 by 27 meters in size, shocked a lot more people, including tourists.
Another act helped the would-be Pussy Riot choose the name and the concept for the music collective. At that time, Voina members, with a small child among them, decided to take a creative approach to the issue of shoplifting poultry from supermarkets. A female member of the group buried a frozen chicken in her crotch, and then left the store to the cheering of her comrades. The latter were holding posters with abusive words, smeared with human excrement. The action led to the appearance of the expression designating the uprising of female genitals against the established rules of conduct.
We would like to know whether the U.S. ambassador to Russia informed the U.S. President about the scandalous and pedophilic acts, in which the three girls participated. Or did he just turn a blind eye on it, having made the U.S. President say obscene words in public?
This is not the complete list of the acts committed by those "innocent" and "talented" girls from Pussy Riot. The above is enough to ask President Obama whether acts of sexual perversion in children's presence are considered traditional American values, which Mr. President offers to accept as an example to follow? Do the members of the US administration believe that such public acts can be referred to as freedom of expression? How would they react if someone decides to repeat any of the above-mentioned acts in an American church out of solidarity with members of the Russian punk band?
Anton Kulikov
Pravda.Ru