Pussy Riot rocks the world!

political protestors of the internet age

Political protests come in many shapes and sizes. From online petitions to real-life rallies, hardly a day goes by without a minority group generously sharing their opinions via megaphone on the steps of Parliament. But Russian political punk-rock band Pussy Riot, are not your average political protestors. In March this year, three female band members stormed Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and performed a ‘punk prayer’ in which they asked Virgin Mary to drive away President Vladimir Putin. The trio were arrested for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and have been in jail since. Their trial is currently being held, and the deeply politicised Russian judicial system is causing global controversy.

What’s particularly unique about Pussy Riot’s protest – aside from their colourful balaclavas, their energetic dance style and their defiance of a political regime reminiscent of Stalin’s Russia – is their means of communication. The political rockers have cast aside the megaphone, and instead embraced the power of the internet. Their performance was primarily designed to be shared on YouTube, and the video has thus far received 260,000 views. Given that the punk prayer was created for the online environment, it is no surprise that the global response has largely occupied the same medium.

Amnesty International has established www.freepussyriot.org to raise awareness and garner international support to release the detained members of Pussy Riot. As well as collating news and videos relevant to the court trial, Amnesty set up a legal defence fund so the public can donate to the women’s cause. Contributions can range from $5 to $500, and at the time this piece was written, the fund stood at a total of $19,865 USD – just $135 USD short of their goal!

Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wearing a Pussy Riot t-shirt at a 2012 Moscow gig.

Additionally, Pussy Riot’s political song has become a hot topic in the twitterverse, the blogosphere, and every other social media environment you can think of a bad pun for. It seems the freedom of the internet offers the perfect juxtaposition to the unjust partisanship of the Russian courts. The husband of one of the detained band members has been furiously tweeting @freepussyriot throughout the trial, contributing to the unprecedented media coverage of the hearing. Further, personal blogs like Richard Thomas Reilly have commented on the punk prayer from a political and humanitarian perspective, while musicandting offers an example of musician camaraderie at the local level.

The loud response from the blogging community is to be expected, as most bloggers – and I don’t claim to be the exception – see themselves as righteous champions of free speech. More importantly than the various opinions and ideas being expressed though, is the fact that Pussy Riot has a place in public discourse. At the time of Stalin’s reign, the repression of anti-establishment protestors was a swift and brutal operation, largely carried out away from the international eye. The online realm has shed a blinding light on international injustice, and opened the door for global observation and comment in cases such as these. While the growing Western liberal support for the imprisoned band members will not likely impact the biased nature of the court hearing, it will send a very clear message to President Putin. The world is closely watching his every move, and the voices of those he rules are louder and more mobile than ever.