Pussy Riot has encountered a series of blockades to their anti-Putin protest in Sochi, the site of the Winter Olympics. Over the weekend, they were arrested under suspicion of theft but were eventually released with no charges. Yesterday, members of the Cossack militia attacked them when they tried to perform the song "Putin Will Teach You To Love the Motherland."
However, they did manage to hold a press conference where they spoke about their experience in Sochi and dealing with Russian authorities. They hosted the event on the street after the hotel that had originally agreed to host them cancelled at the last minute, citing problems with plumbing, according to Pitchfork.
During the press conference, Pussy Riot were finally able to perform "Putin Will Teach You To Love the Motherland." They posted a video of the performance along with footage of the Cossak whippings and images of nature. The song is an act of support for Russian political prisoners and calls out the Russian government.
"Freedom to all political prisoners on the May 6 case," a statement with the video reads. "To the environmentalist Evgeny Vitishko and all other political prisoners! See you at the Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow on February 21 at 12.00 — when the judge will start to read the sentence for the May 6 case."
The International Olympic committee is aware of Pussy Riot's protest activity in Sochi, according to Billboard. Spoksman for the committee, Mark Adams, said that the governor of the Krasnodar region has apologized for the attacked on Pussy Riot. He said that although the matter is not directly related to the Sochi games, he "found the pictures and the video very unsettling." He added, "it's a shame if the Olympics is used as a political platform" and that "we saw the strong feelings, on both sides, these things can provoke."
Watch their video below (see the translated lyrics here.) and let us know what you think in the comments section!
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
