Pussy Riot
This week we’re exploring controversy more than pure crime. Pussy Riot is a Russian performance art group that are known for their strong and provocative stances on issues including feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and politics.
The Group
Pussy Riot as a band/group was founded in 2011 by members Nadya Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and 8 more women who joined soon after the group was formed. They were formed in response to national politics in Russia.
Although they originally were created to oppose their national government, Pussy Riot has also created songs opposing other things that they disagree with around the world. These include:
Release the Cobblestones 2011 which is about the Russian elections in that year, recommending that people protest the elections by throwing stones.
Death to Prison, Freedom to Protests 2011 which was performed next to a jail where political activists and members of the opposition were being detained.
Putin Zassal (Putin has Pissed Himself) 2012 performed at an anti-Putin rally.
I Can’t Breathe 2015 which was the group’s first song in English, inspired by Eric Garner’s last words as he was held in a chokehold by New York City police.
Make America Great Again 2016 in response to Donald Trump’s candidacy for President.
My Agenda 2020 in collaboration with The Village People to encourage rebellion against Russia’s gay propaganda law.
These are just a selection of the songs they’ve released over the course of the time they’ve been a formal group. None of their music has been released in traditional albums but they’re all able to be downloaded and listened to online.
The band has been at the center of other controversies but today we’re going to talk about the event that brought them onto the global stage.
February 2012
Pussy Riot gained global notoriety when, on February 21, 2012, they staged a performance of their punk music inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The women said the protest was against the Orthodox church leaders’ support for Putin during his election campaign. The church officials condemned the actions of the group as sacrilegious and they put a stop to the protest.
In March 2012, Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and Samutsevich were all arrested and charged with hooliganism and their bail was denied until their trial started in July 2012. On March 25, 2012 Amnesty International deemed the three women prisoners of conscience which means anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. It can also mean people who have been imprisoned unfairly for peacefully expressing their conscientiously held beliefs. But that didn’t really do them a lot of good, the Russian government didn’t care. On August 17, 2012 all three women were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and were sentenced to 2 years in prison. After serving 21 months the women were released in December 2013.
During the trial the women became a famous international cause with celebrities and regular people alike speaking out in support of the group. Both Madonna and Björk offered to have Pussy Riot on stage with them at their concerts, but Pussy Riot, as an anti-capitalist group, declined. “We're flattered, of course, that Madonna and Björk have offered to perform with us. But the only performances we'll participate in are illegal ones. We refuse to perform as part of the capitalist system, at concerts where they sell tickets” (Kirilenko and Sindelar, 2012).
Protests were held around the world after the sentence for the women was announced. Crosses were cut down in at least four locations across Russia in protest while conservative Orthodox Russians staged counter-protests. The whole thing was extremely contentious with people feeling very strongly on both sides. Though many people who did think that what they did was sacreligious believe the sentences were way too harsh and they never should have been charged in the first place.
As of 2022, the band was touring and demonstrating solidarity with Ukraine. They raised about $6.7 million for Ukrainian organization Come Back Alive and they continue to make public statements in support of Ukraine.
Works Cited
Kirilenko, Anastasia and Daisy Sindelar. “Remaining Members of Pussy Riot: ‘We’re Stronger Than the State’”. RadioFreeEurope. 2012. https://www.rferl.org/a/pussy-riot-members-secret-interview-russia/24690799.html