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Pussy Riot is in jail after their punk rock lyrics offended the wrong people. | Source
Imagine writing a cool, kind of punk rock song. Yeah, the lyrics might be angry. They might diss some authority figures or talk about how unfair some things are. Now imagine that this song got you sent to jail. Say what?!
The awesomely outspoken all-girl band Pussy Riot is still in jail in Russia, marking five months, after their punk rock lyrics offended the wrong people–namely the Russian government.
A trio from the band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, P.O.ed the powers-that-be with
an impromptu performance in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral back in February. The punk rock lyrics to the band’s “punk prayer,” in which the women asked the Virgin Mary to “deliver Russia from Putin,” a reference to the March presidential election that Vladimir Putin was expected to win. The performance got them arrested for a charge called “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” Hooliganism? Really people? Can’t a girl have an opinion?!
The charges have the potential to put the girls in jail for seven years–seven years–but their prosecutors are asking for three, specifically because they’re said to have “abused God.” Isn’t that a little nuts? The members of Pussy Riot have also been pretty demonized by the Russian state media for what was essentially a prank. It’s causing particular outrage in countries like ours, where we enjoy freedoms of speech and religion.
Thankfully, the rest of the world isn’t sitting back and letting punk rock lyrics keep the otherwise peaceful Pussy Riot in jail. Madonna has shown her support by wearing the band’s name on her back and donning the Pussy Riot trademark balaclava (basically a ski mask), onstage. Yoko Ono wrote to the band personally, and tons of musicians and powerful people, including Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department. While many are rallying worldwide in support of Pussy Riot, the band and their lawyers are pretty convinced that their sentencing and verdict are in Putin’s hands. Putin himself has said that the band shouldn’t be judged that harshly, but if they go free, reports say he’ll risk looking weak.
The fate of Pussy Riot lies with this guy. | Source
Keep in mind, Putin is a guy who conducts whale research with a crossbow, does the butterfly stroke in freezing Siberian lakes, and puts out wildfires himself. We don’t think it’s possible for Vladimir Putin to look weak. At worst, freeing Pussy Riot after arresting and jailing them just for punk rock lyrics will make Putin look rational.
Pussy Riot themselves aren’t backing down, either. “I am not afraid of your poorly concealed fraud of a verdict in this so-called court because it can deprive me of my freedom,” Maria Alyokhina said in court. “No one will take my inner freedom away.”
Do you think Pussy Riot should be freed? Do you think Pussy Riot should have been arrested for performing their punk rock lyrics about Putin in a church? Tell us in the comments!
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I support freedom of speech, but I think it’s the fact that they performed that song in a church/ religious building disturbing the service which is bothering everybody. I think jail is too harsh, maybe just a few weeks of community service, but not jail.
Agreed! I hate how people use the free speech cry all the time. Yes, you should have freedom of speech, but you can’t just disturb a church and offend people like this.
While I think 7 years in jail is way too much, they still performed a hateful song about a religion in the church of that religion. Rude much? Stand up for yourself and what you believe, but don’t put others down, that obviously won’t help you.
Freedom of speech.
Ok. So I can come into your house tomorrow morning while you are sleeping and just start screaming at the top of my lungs because of FREE SPEECH? Um, no. They were in a CHURCH. If they were outside the church on a sidewalk to protest, fine. But they were rude and disrespectful and decided to perform a show inside the church. Freedom of speech applies until you cause harm or induce panic. This clearly was overly harmful and offensive to some people. Should they be in jail? No, but they do deserve consequences.
This is so wrong. People should be able to say able whatever they want.
Actually, freedom of speech is in effect until you cause harm or panic/disruption. Obviously these girls were rude and in a place of worship and it offended many people. So, your argument is invalid. As I’ve said on here before, jail time is way too harsh and stupid in this case, but no, a person can’t just say whatever they want. Maybe they could have made signs and protested peacefully outside the church, but they decided not to.