Respectfully, I believe it's very simple for someone from the west to make such a statement. In much of the rest of the world political activism and feminism are so often met with social reprisal and persecution as well as prosecution. If not worse...
All political activism carries with it a risk of some type of retaliation. The girls are scared. They can yell and scream obscenities in a church, but faced with any consequences, they (tried to) hide under their balaclavas, much as the Occupiers used that Guy Faukes mask.
Note: Other theories exist as to why these theatrical leftist groups have been using masks recently. Could be that their membership is not as diverse as they would like it to be, and thereby weakens their own argument. Even
they, the most stringently correct of the politically correct, can't attract a wide spectrum of people of other cultures to support them in campaigning for ... multiculturalism.
If they lacked intelligent argument and solely relied on gimmicks I doubt we would be having a discussion about them.
Obviously their 'gimmicks' appeal to a sector of society feeling angry, frustrated, ignored, and disenfranchised. This has occurred throughout history more often than I can even type. Some might argue that John Calvin enacting a hierarchy of church government, much to the opposition of noble families, was a gimmick. Or Thomas More's refusal to dismiss papal authority - for which he was found guilty of treason and executed - a gimmick.
http://www.ku.lt/sociologija/files/2005_nr.01.96-109.pdf
http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit-2012/overview-essay
Using masks & face coverings is a gimmick. Calvin and More did not try to disguise their identities.
Apparently this video shows the actual incident in question:
[video=youtube;GCasuaAczKY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCasuaAczKY&feature=endscreen&NR=1[/video]
Description section as translated roughly by Google:
Uploaded by PussRiot on Feb 21, 2012
FULL POST on the punk prayer service, "Mother, Putin Put," which the soloist Pussy Riot served in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in February 21st, Tuesday Pancake week -
Twitter Group:
http://twitter.com/ #! / pussy_riot
TEXT OF PUNK-Prayer:
(Chorus)
Virgin, Virgin, Putin Put
Put Putin, Putin Put
(End chorus)
The black robe, gold epaulettes
All parishioners are crawling on the bow
The ghost of freedom in heaven
Pride sent to Siberia in chains
The head of the KGB, their chief saint
Leads protesters in prison under the escort
To His Holiness does not beat Oscor
Women need to have and to love
Holy ****, ****, **** the Lord
Holy ****, ****, **** the Lord
(Chorus)
Virgin, Virgin, become a feminist
Become a feminist, a feminist stand
(End chorus)
Church Praise rotten vodzhey
The procession of black limousines
In school you going to the preacher
Go to class - bring him money!
Patriarch Gundyaev believe in Putin's
It would be better in God, *****, believed
Belt of the Virgin is no substitute for meetings -
In protest of our Ever-Virgin Mary!
(Chorus)
Virgin, Virgin, Putin Put
Put Putin, Putin Put
(End chorus)
Pussy Riot does not have the sympathy of the Russian people.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012...E87F1E520120817?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Although Pussy Riot have never made a record or had a hit song, foreign singers have led the campaign for the trio's release. Madonna performed in Moscow with "PUSSY RIOT" painted on her back and wearing a ski mask in solidarity.
But a poll of Russians released by the independent Levada research group showed only 6 percent sympathized with the women and 51 percent found nothing good about them or felt irritation or hostility. The rest could not say or were indifferent.
Valentina Ivanova, 60, a retired doctor, said outside the courtroom: "What they did showed disrespect towards everything, and towards believers first of all."
