The trial has ended as three members of Pussy Riot await sentencing in Russia's trial of the century. As Nadezhda Tolokonnikova explained in her oh so eloquent closing statement, it's all of Russia on trial here. Will the Mother Country close Her eyes once again to oppression as She has done throughout Her miserable history? Will She continue to take pride in Her shame instead of freeing Herself from it? I quote now Nadezhda's closing words:
Essentially, it is not three singers from Pussy Riot who are on trial here. If that were the case, what’s happening would be totally insignificant. It is the entire state system of the Russian Federation which is on trial and which, unfortunately for itself, thoroughly enjoys quoting its cruelty towards human beings, its indifference to their honor and dignity, the very worst that has happened in Russian history to date. To my deepest regret, this mock trial is close to the standards of the Stalinist troikas. Thus, we have our investigator, lawyer and judge. And then, what’s more, what all three of them do and say and decide is determined by a political demand for repression. Who is to blame for the performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and for our being put on trial after the concert? The authoritarian political system is to blame. What Pussy Riot does is oppositional art or politics that draws upon the forms art has established. In any event, it is a form of civil action in circumstances where basic human rights, civil and political freedoms are suppressed by the corporate state system.
Pussy Riot's Punk Prayer was performance art taken to its highest level. Some claim the prayer "offended" believers? Believers in what? Certainly not God! Jesus would love a protest such as this, outraging the hypocrites and liars. Let us not forget he too died a criminal and outcast in our eyes. So that does not bode well for the immediate consequences to the girls' act of truth.
In the long run, though, they can only come out on top, with the oppressors tossed into the waste bin of history.
We in America are starved for people who will speak truth to power yet we claim we are a free people. But are we? If the same act were done here would it not cause an even greater firestorm? It's certainly refreshing to see such a glorious act of rebellion taking place. It lifts up the hearts of freedom lovers around the world. And what's most beautiful of all is they are demonstrating the power of art and its ability to reflect who we are. The medical community saves lives. The art community saves life.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova,a true fighter
A threat to liberty anywhere is a threat to liberty everywhere.
Here's some protest art from Free Pussy Riot's Facebook page:
Some live protest scenes:
No Subtitles version is all I could embed
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