July protests in support of Pussy Riot

In mid-July 2012, several actions took place in Moscow and St. Petersburg in defense of the arrested members of the Pussy Riot group .

On July 12, 2012, in St. Petersburg, near the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, a cross was erected with the inscriptions “Democracy”, “Your democracy can be here,” on which a girl with a blue mask on her face was symbolically crucified. A box was placed in front of the cross to collect donations “to restore the reputation of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

40 minutes after the start, the action was interrupted by the police. According to journalists, a report was drawn up against the girl under Art. 16 of the Law “On Administrative Offenses in St. Petersburg” (unauthorized dismantling, destruction, installation or relocation of an improvement facility).

A few days later, a banner painting about four meters high was placed near the walls of the Manege exhibition hall in St. Petersburg. It depicted Orthodox clergy wearing masks similar to those of Pussy Riot. Images of the painting were distributed on social networks, in particular on VKontakte .

On July 20, 2012, a protest rally took place near the Khamovnichesky Court in Moscow, where supporters and opponents of Pussy Riot coexisted. The picketers, who called for the release of members of the group, held signs reading “Mother of God! Drive out Putin!”, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will have mercy.” The opponents are posters “For morality” and “Let’s protect our children.”

The defenders of the punk group were joined by famous cultural figures - Boris Akunin, Lev Rubinstein, Andrei Bilzho.

Sources

• In St. Petersburg, the defender of Pussy Riot was “crucified” near the Savior on Blood // BaltInfo. 2012. July 12.
• The defender of Pussy Riot was accused of violating the rules of improvement // Ibid. 2012. July 13.
• Unknown people in St. Petersburg created a banner in support of Pussy Riot // RosBalt. 2012. July 18.
• Supporters and opponents. "Russia today" interviewed representatives of two opposing camps at the Khamovnichesky Court (video) // Portal-Credo.ru. 2012. July 20.
• Literary and artistic figures protest near the Khamovnichesky Court against the persecution of Pussy Riot participants // Interfax-religion. 2012. July 20.