“Obama deeply concerned” about what it calls a “politically-motivated prosecution,” (re Pussy Riot)

I wonder if a punk band broke into a mosque uninvited and started singing punk songs about how awful Islam is, even if they told the absolute verbatim truth about Mohamed and so on, and also included how pissed off they where at the Obama administration for its complicity in being the single biggest force for the reduction of freedom and safety for all non-Muslim groups in the world, again, arguably very true, and had many of their supporters also enter the mosque and trash the place up during the performance, would Obama make sure that no prosecution took place?

Or would he label it terrorism and go public with how horrible these peoples actions where and apologize to Muslims till the crease in his pants faded a tiny bit around the knee.

I think we all know the answer. And frankly, I gotta go with Putin on this one.

Check this account of the actions of these women. Video of the attack, (and attack it was as one cannot call it a performance when it was not asked for, and specifically not wanted) below.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

39 Replies to ““Obama deeply concerned” about what it calls a “politically-motivated prosecution,” (re Pussy Riot)”

  1. It was definitely bad behavior but I don’t believe 2 years in jail is a fair sentence. Muslims do much worse on a regular basis & get away with a slap on the wrist, if that.

  2. I have been thinking about this post all day. I made it in some mild haste. My main issue is Obama’s brutal hypocricy. That it seems the only people for whom we face jail time and harsh punishments when we even expose what they say they want to do to us, actual enemies of the West and all its people, those who want to destroy democracy and replace it with a grotesque and barbaric theocracy, the Muslims, well when we do anything they dont like its terrorism. But when this punk band does something which is clearly criminal in multiple ways Obama is deeply concerned that its political prosecution.

    Im sorry that is a lot of wrong there. We know what Obama, frankly every leader in the Western world would do if a punk band broke into a mosque during a service and sang critical songs, even if true to the very letter. We know they would be charged with lots of crimes and possibly even terrorism.

    What happened to this band was deserved. The Catholics aren’t hurting anyone and not deserving of that treatment on top of the fact that it was vandalism etc.

    However in a rational world if someone did that to a mosque, at least one which could be proven to be one preaching hate and jihad and disloyalty to the host country etc. they should be given a medal.

    It is an upside down world where the only people protected from criticism, indeed protected from having us repeat what they themselves say as warning to us, are the people who are sworn to our destruction. But the more cooperative and benign a group is, the more open season it is on them.

  3. One massive publicity stunt,they will all be millionaires before they have even finished there sentences.

  4. There are allegations that one of these Pussies was shown to be taking part in a public orgy.

    Clearly their name fits their actions.

    There are large number of artists and musicians, who want to show their bravery by attacking Christianity, knowing full well that Christians will take no action except call the police, and pray for these protestors. I call this cheap bravery. What I would like to see them do is to enter a mosque in Iran or Saudi Arabia, and do the same what these Pussys did in Moscow. Now that would be bravery, and I for one would loudly applaud them.

  5. Note: were not imprisoned for desecrating freedom of religion the were imprisoned for attacks on Putin.

    These people been doing this for a long time. Here is a group of them in a court room attacking Putin.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/32214567@N06/sets/72157619096427708/

    here is the same group attacking Russian cops (one of these were shot dead I am not sure which one:)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0A8Qf893cs

    They have a long history of these types of aggressions.

    Oh yeah, you remember that topless FEMEN feminist Ukrainian protest group against Islam at the 2012 Summer Olympics here they are in support of this organization:

  6. Vlad mate, here we will have to agree to disagree
    granted it was a shameless attempt to get air time. That said it was also free speech, and as you cast yourself as a freedom of speech activist……..Hummmmm?

  7. EDL Buck:

    If they set up in front of the cathedral and did the exact same thing I wouldn’t bother even thinking about it. Although still, it would be interesting to see what would happen if a US or UK band set up outside a Mosque and did the exact same thing wouldn’t it?

    But if they set up on the street and didn’t directly interfere with anyone else’s freedoms by jostling them or making so much noise that they couldn’t do what they wanted to do, then that would be a free speech issue. My reasoning is that they went inside and they had 30 or 40 people with them who harassed the people inside and on some accounts *that I have heard, I will have to confirm* committed acts of vandalism.

    This is not freedom of speech or expression in any way.

  8. gonna have to strongly disagree with you on this one, this is simply Putin flexing his dictatorial powers and suppressing political protest, pussy riot has been challenging his authority for many years and this is not a Islam/christian favorability issue. It’s an extension of Putin stealing the recent election and banning all opposition. The Church is simply being used by Putin as a chess piece in order to consolidate his power, it’s a political pawn.. Along the same vein Putin recently passed a law fining people 9,000 dollars for protesting without permission from the Kremlin.

  9. Golem that may indeed be the case. I’ll think some more on it. My initial post was based on Obama’s remark. From someone who I am quite certain would actually publicly humiliate at the very very least anyone who did something similar to a mosque in the USA

  10. From the video and all reports the girls are guilty of nothing more than disturbing the peace and public nuisance. Misdemeanours worthy of a small fine each and perhaps some community service here in Canberra. There was nothing against religion here, just a distasteful perhaps choice of venue for a demonstration against a criminal regime.

    I do applaud these girls as being brave enough to challenge that which we in the West should be a lot more aggressive about. Putin’s umbrella is part of the shield protecting Tehran – the absolute centre of the ‘Axis of Evil.’

  11. also, yes i agree Obama would denounce anybody attacking a mosque, but the context is important, by the way Putin married a decorated olympian muslim gymnast from Uzbekistan, she is part of his political party and they have a child together, i don’t think Putin really cares about religion one way or the other, he grew up as a KGB atheist

  12. Vlad only a complete fucking idiot would do this in mfront/in a mosque, have a fucking word with yourself mate

  13. I think it has to be remembered that like it or not Putin has alot of support.I have always been of the mind that it is important to act against tyranny but after supporting the iraq war and invasion of afghanistan ,I am changing my mind. Let people in their own countries try to sort it out ,I have gone beyond caring and frankly you get no thanks for it .Unless they threaten our democracy directly leave them to it.We should get out of afghanistan for example and if they formulate terror or harbour it,a large carrier group in the indian ocean should be sent in to bomb them to hell and special forces sent in to pin point groups.Otherwise lets get it into our heads that large parts of russia’s ,afghanistan’s etc populations, support the regime or theology they have. As far as pussy riot is concerned the dark haired one with the bob hairstyle is pretty tasty and if she wanted to riot her pussy anywhere near me ,I would have to succumb to her demands.

  14. by the way I’m pretty sure the church is russian orthadox not catholic.Big difference.If it was catholic then there would have been less of a hoohar!

  15. Dear people,

    I doubt few of use here really knows what is going on in Russia – therefor the point of this discussion should be the hypocritical way politicians and artists in the west treat religions differently.

    If a band of punk-lesbians where to enter any church in the West the international fallout would be far less grievous, then if they entered a mosque and did the same thing.

    This is because Christianity is far less aggressive then Islam, but still holds a lot of political and intellectual influence in the west – therefor they are the enemies of Marxists, Labourists, Democrats and Socialists bullies who see in them suitable targets.

    Putin may be flexing his muscles – but it’s the reactions that the West, who thinks this is a religious issue – has towards the trial, not just the political reality in Russia that many of use are interested in.

  16. Being an pretentious postmodernistic anarchistic twat (an immature attention whore, in other words) is not a “crime” that should be punished by 2 years of imprisonment.

    Putler, his fascist gang of KGB thugs and theocrats are just demonstratively flexing muscles to intimidate the opposition.

  17. Really?

    The next time a group of ‘youths’ enter a church (of any denomination) and desecrate it’s contents, a simple slap on the hand will suffice? Should this punishment not deter the ‘youths’ anti-social behaviors enough to prevent a second desecration, 30 days in the pokey is all that’s needed?

    The point being, the desired outcome appears to depend on which group and which religious establishment is involved.

    Anti-establishment punk performers desecrating a church – political statement

    Anti-harbis youth desecrating a church = ?

  18. Frankly, Russia can do what it wants in its own country. And they can mind their own business regarding mine. Putin has to deal with it.

  19. The actions were more then a misdemeanor, this was an open assault on freedom of religion, a violation of the civil rights of the people in the Church. A slap on the wrist wouldn’t be justice.

    Is part of this Czar Vladimir flexing his muscles, probably that doesn’t take anything away from the gravity of the situtation.

  20. Im no fan of Putin, nor the Russian Orthodox Church, however these protesters infringed upon others rights here. I dont think that the sentence was too harsh. Sentencing across the West is too lenient to be an effective deterent….and this isnt out of line with other sentencing in the UK and US for similar offenses in recent years, maybe just a tad longer. But of course running into a church with balaclavas covering your face post-Beslan is terrorism.

    Furthermore these radical feminists, no doubt have an axe to grind with the ROC, and no doubt relished the idea of pushing the legal envelope to spit on the ROC and its membership……just as the Jew Hater really gets into the Anti-Israel protests with extra gusto and zeal.

  21. Im am sympathetic to Pussy Riot’s message, but not their method in this case.

  22. No Escape Velocity, there protest, while an unforunate selection of venue in many ways was chosen to simply get attention but was squarely aimed at a criminal that no one else has had the guts to take on head-on. I salute their courage.

    F22Ross at Twitter

  23. Do you also salute the courage of the homosexuals who stormed into a Catholic Church on Easter Sunday in Chicago and flung fake blood on the parishioners, one wonders?

    The issue here isnt the protest itself, but the manner of the protest.

    People salute Palestinian suicide bombers for their courage in challenging a criminal Zionist entity, which no one else has the courage to take head on. So you can justify anything.

  24. EscapeVelocity you are right, the protest was deserved, the manner of protest was despicable, they chose this method as an attack on the Church first and Putin second. Way too many people don’t stop and consider the attack on the Church, all they see is someone protesting Czar Vladimir.

  25. Attack on the Church my arse! My wife is Russian and she attends the local Russian Orthodox church here in Canberra and she understood all and is 100% behind these girls as am I. There was no destruction of property and certainly no one injured or killed during this protest. The church itself in Russia has called for leniency in the case. The message was 100% an attack on the criminal regime that has a stranglehold on Russia and extends it corrupt umbrella to other illigitimate regimes like Iran.

    The girls did it in a church to get attention. If they had done it in a shopping mall – yawn…. Little attention would have been paid to them. It’s unfortunate that they appeared to be disrespectful of the Church and I believe they made statements to the effect that that was not their intention. Don’t be distracted from the message. Putin is guilty of everything from embezzelment to conspiracy to murder… There is absolutely no chance of unseating him except through drastic protest. I’m a member of Amnesty and that organisation is also 100% behind the girls.

  26. Ross: Ill have to go and read the words to the song again. It seemed to me a lot of it was directed at the church.

    What about the video above, where the feminists who support this band cut down a large crucifix while bare breasted then posed like Jesus on the cross they had just cut down. Was that also an attack on Putin’s policies and alliance with Iran ? Cause it sorta smacked of anti-church sentiments to me, but then, I don’t understand Russian culture so I could be missing something.

    Here is the link to that video, and yes, I know this isn’t the band its the supporters but they certainly seemed to connect the action to the church http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6-6HD7_HA&feature=player_embedded

  27. Different story there. I think that lot were protesting the initial harsh reaction of the Church and there is an assertion that one patriach is an acolyte of Putin’s…

  28. Nice looking girl though. I hope she does many more videos. When it comes down to hot Russian or Ukrainian girls vs Putin I know whose side I’m on….

  29. Ross, Im sorry, I think you have it wrong.

    The attack was on the Church and it’s leadership’s support for the Putin regime. Criticizing both.

    The acceptable form of protest would have been outside in front of the Church, not inside the church up on the altar.

    They pushed the envelope and were rightfully charged with hooliganism. They got the media attention they desired as a platform for their message and they must now face justice for their law breaking.

    This isnt persecution by the Putin regime, but a matter of rule of law, and equal protection. Im not commenting on any abuse that the girls may have received whilst incarcerated, which I have no knowledge of. Merely the charge and the prosecution of hooliganism.

    No doubt the Putin regime has done many a dastardly deed, in violation of the law, including against opponents and critics of his regime. The prosecution of Pussy Riot here, isnt one of them.

  30. PS – Im afraid that Amnesty International has destroyed what little credibility they had left in the last 10 years or so.

    If I were you, I would abandon that organization.

  31. I want to make it clear that I am also sympathetic to Pussy Riot’s protest and criticism of the ROC and it’s leaderships political support of Putin.

    You dont storm into a church with balaclava’s on and then commence to foul mouthed rant’s against the church, to make that point, without incurring legal penalties. That was not only objectionable and indecent, but illegal, and rightly so.

  32. Well said EscapeVelocity this is just another attack on Christianity, yes Czar Vladimir is an evil nasty SOB, yes he is cracking down on his political opponents, yes the ROC is supporting him. That doesn’t excuse the attack.