"Punk-band" in XXS: a criminal case has been instituted

The criminal case under the article “Hooliganism” was instituted against unknown girls who arranged a “punk-summer” in the Cathedral of Christ Savior, the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow told Interfax. "On February 21, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, five girls put on their faces protective masks of bright colors, then ran into salt and an amvon, approached the altar and for 2-3 minutes insulted the clergy and believers, including the patriarch of all Rus'," said the press service employee. According to him, the guards were not able to detain the girls, they are being wanted.

This week, the Prosecutor General’s Office received an appeal with a request to conduct a prosecutor's check of the performance in the XXS. The author of the appeal is Muscovite Dmitry Pakhomov, vice -rector of the School of the Orthodox Missionary at the capital's temple of the Apostle Foma. Pakhomov, in particular, writes that the concert "insulted his feelings as a believer." The criminal case was the demand to initiate this week by the People’s Cathedral movement, and Orthodox activists ask to check the involvement in the performance of the present journalists.

The Pussy Riot group explained the meaning of the action in its blog: "Once peaceful hundred thousandth demonstrations do not give an immediate result, we will ask the Virgin to drive Putin as soon as possible before Easter." In January, the group arranged a spontaneous concert in the frontal place of Red Square with the song "Putin Zassal". The girls were detained by the FSO officers, later two participants in the action were fined 500 rubles.

Meanwhile, the personal data of five girls announced by participants in the XXS appeared on the Internet. The "revealing list" of the girls from the Pussy Riot group with photos and home addresses appeared on right -wing sites and on the blogs of activists. Publications were accompanied by calls for reprisal. As Publicpost found out , the two persons involved in the list did not participate in the action, one of them generally denies his participation in the Pussy Riot group. The publications used photographs taken at the Kitay-Gorod police department on January 20 after the detention of the participants in the rally on Red Square. Personal data were taken from the same police materials along with errors in addresses and surnames. According to the publication, the “scale and handwriting of the campaign” against Pussy Riot indicates the involvement of the Center for Combating Extremism.

According to PublicPost, the first list of girls with personal data was announced by Evgeny Valyaev, a member of the Central Council of the Ultra Parability of the Russian Image. He also published the names of Novaya Gazeta journalists and the France Presse agency involved, in his opinion, in the organization of the action. In turn, the activist of the People’s Cathedral Vladimir Sergeyev, who published the list on his website, claims to receive him by mail from "one person with whom he has long been cooperating." “I have information on my site. My personal opinion is that this should be a punishment. They should be anonymous, they wanted publicity - please, publicity,” Sergeev explained.

Meanwhile, Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, Protodiacon Andrei Kuraev, warned about the danger of reprisals against the Pussy Riot participants and offered the Orthodox youth movement "St. George" to ensure the protection of the girls. The "zealots" drove themselves to a dead end, - writes Kuraev on his blog. - If now, knowing the addresses, names and seeing the pictures, they will not “enlighten” these girls, then just their nightmare will come true - the Orthodox will begin to consider toothless weaklings, capable of only Internet recruitment. But if someone, at least one of them still decides on the act of retaliation, then this will be a terrible blow to the church. There is a third option. Among my fears in this connection are also a fear of continuing the provocation. Imagine one of the unscrupulous hater of the Church will now decide to beat these girls. How and how much will we have to clean from the dirt then? "

Earlier, Kuraev opposed the persecution of the participants of the performance in the XXS, he considered the action of the corresponding spirit of Shrovetide. “If I were a clawer of this temple, I would feed them pancakes, give them out of the mead of meads and invite you to go to the rank of forgiveness again. And if I were a layman-old, then they would still pinch them a little ... in the ais way. For reasoning,” Kuraev wrote.

The head of the Department of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, criticized this position. "Some people, including those who call themselves Orthodox, urge you to either forgive the participants of the tricks or not to notice it, or just be silent, as not to do, as they say, excess PR. At the same time, we know that the Orthodox tradition definitely says: you must forgive your personal enemies, but protect your shrines, your faith, your neighbors," said Chaplin. "Christianity and pacifism are things directly opposite. If they attack your Fatherland, a Christian is obliged to protect him with weapons in their hands. If you trample your shrines, insult your faith and your neighbors, this must be opposed by all legal means, including demanding that the state protect things that are more expensive for the Orthodox Christian," Chaplin emphasized.