Pussy Riot nonsense? Hold your opinions.

L’affaire des Pussies

Editor’s Note:  I copy below a HuffPo report on the “Pussy Riot” case, a strange development which, if true, certainly casts a bad hue on Vladimir Putin, and on the government’s appeal to nationalism—which may be necessary in his eyes at this point—through the support of organized superstition, in this instance, the still popular Russian Orthodox Church. If true, that’s bad, really bad, for its shows, as some have claimed (more on that below), that the separation of Church and state is blurring in Russia, precisely as it becomes, de facto, increasingly murky in the United States itself.

Meantime, the controversy about the infamous performance of the punk girl band at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior—and their sentence to a couple of years in jail—continues in Russia for three weeks already. By any reckoning it’s a confusing mess and it shows no signs of abating any time soon. 

To most Western eyes the reaction by the authorities to the prank ranges from ludicrous to alarming. All the appearances are damning, indeed. The trial and sentence—as reported in the West—is a deplorable, humorless example of judicial excess (dumb, too, in terms of national images, something at which the United States excels.)

Under normal circumstances I would be ready to pass my own condemnatory judgment on the situation, but there’s no “normal” anymore, and most of the news sources furiously peddling the story have a long history of invidious and tendentious reporting.  Not to mention that the whole thing has the stench of possibly a bold Western black op to embarrass Putin and Russia, in general. In the grand scheme of world politics, with Syria, Iran, and ultimately Russia itself at stake, ask yourselves: who stands to win by discrediting the Russkies? Outside Russia, who gains the most by assassinating the image of the Russian leader? It’s been said many times already that the US is out to destabilize Putin. The verdict against these women seems too damn convenient for the propaganda mills of the West. Which is not to deny, again, that a verdict like this is a tactless abomination.

While all the above may be true, caution is in order. Consider that when we look at this “Pussy Riot” from a broader perspective it undeniably has the aura of something we have seen before.  Remember the Kony brouhaha? That black propaganda effort also seemed to come out of nowhere, and quickly disappeared, but not without strengthening the hand for US intervention in Africa (which is happening stealthily anyway), and giving imperial assault in general a momentary facelift.

With these rockers, all the telltale signs are also there, and writ large, too: the outrageousness of the situation, the type of “black & white” moral case that  even a 5 year old can grasp; the mawkish choice of victims: with Kony, it was defenseless children, with this trial, smacking of the Inquisition, a bunch of harmless “ultra-liberated” feminist punk rockers—supposedly bent on dissing an established church—a big plus for many, including me.  Quickly add to this volatile mix the righteous parade of the politically clueless celebs: Madonna,  Paul McCartney and their ilk, all denouncing the punishment meted out as a mockery of justice (about which, for once, they may be right).  Lastly, throw in the spontaneous (?) demonstrations around the world in support of the accused, and, naturally, the Western media’s lynching mood.

Is there another way of looking at this? Apparently yes.  This is what Mikhail Sineinikov, writing for English Pravda, opines:

Other musicians, singers, directors and other professional intellectuals gladly took part in the Russian national pastime of writing collective letters. They signed a petition that said “the girls did not kill or rob anyone, they didn’t commit violence, nor did they destroy or stole someone else’s property.” “Russia is a secular state, and no anti-clerical actions, unless they fall under the Criminal Code, can serve as a cause for prosecution,” the petition said.

For signatories’ information, “anti-clerical actions” can serve as a “cause.” Read the law (signed by Boris Yeltsin, America’s favorite stooge, no less—Eds), “On Freedom of Conscience, Religion and Religious Associations” Article 3, Paragraph 6: “Holding public events, placing texts and images that offend religious feelings of citizens near the objects of worship is prohibited.”

Article 26 of the same law runs: “Violating legislation of the Russian Federation about freedom of conscience, religion and religious associations entails criminal, administrative and other responsibilities.” This is for those who may want to repeat the “heroism” of Pussy Riot, so that they do not say “We did not even expect …” afterwards.

And finally, here is a “parallel”, find-differences type of story. In June 1977, [the] British punk rock band Sex Pistols “glorified” the Queen of England (the Queen for Britons is almost like the patriarch and the president combined for Russians).

They “glorified” Queen Elizabeth II with the use of foul language, including these words: “God save the queen / A fascist regime / They made you a moron.” They performed the song on board a boat on the Thames. The boat stopped right opposite the Houses of Parliament. Very soon, the police arrested the singers right on that boat.

The story did not lead to considerable legal consequences for the musicians. They were fined, their concerts were banned. There were physical consequences, though. Five band members were severely beaten one by one, during a few days and in different places. One of them had his nose and leg broken, another one was cut with a razor, the third one had his arm crippled for the rest of his life. The fourth had 15 stitches on, and the fifth musician had his face disfigured. The criminals were not found, although a number of British publications received messages saying “Don’t you dare to insult our Queen!”

Daria Sivashenkova, also writing (poorly in translation) for Pravda.ru, advances an even more scathing analysis:

The forces that tried to benefit from the infamous punk prayer at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior emerged instantly. Russian so-called “liberals” (the pro-west chorus) are trying to set the young women up as they want the West to recognize them…as “prisoners of conscience” and even martyrs for freedom of speech.

“This is the first time in Russia when people were arrested on charges of blasphemy. Previously, such cases would be limited to only fines. This has destroyed the last barrier on the way to Russia’s transformation into the clerical state, in which a conflict with church policies is equated to criminal offense. In this case, investigation, prosecutors and court are used to attack the foundations of the constitutional system that guarantees the secular character of the state.

“This arrest shows that the church is merging with the state, and justice is turning into Orthodox Inquisition. We urge to immediately release the detainees and cease their criminal prosecution. We consider the arrested Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova to be the prisoners of conscience. They are being persecuted for expressing their views. We call upon international organizations to recognize them as such. We urge everyone to launch a public campaign in their defense – as a pledge for return of our country to the norms of a democratic state.”

The above is the appeal to the West that was published on the website of the Movement For Human Rights. The message evokes very sad feelings indeed. No one will ever dare to bomb Russia, as they bombed Libya in the name of “the norms of the democratic constitutional state.” No one will dare to corner and blackmail Russia as they blackmail Syria. But the message from the “liberals” is obvious: save us from the evil state and the evil Church – save us from that at any cost.

It seems that the girls from Pussy Riot became a bargaining chip for the liberals, who are accustomed to ask “civilized” Europe for salvation.

Now, people, I’m not saying that I’m 100% convinced this entire embarrassing affair is not as reported by the Western media.  Call it stumbling upon the Unicorn, but it may well be.  Powerful as the American tentacles are across the globe, as far as I can tell they do not yet control the Russian judicial apparatus, nor for that matter, Putin’s position on this issue.  But we have been burnt before, sucker-punched way too many times, and we should know by now that when it comes to any major item concerning Russia, and countless other sensitive topics, the fix is in. The only question is how much spin is employed and for what purposes. This could well be a carefully mounted provocation. What if these women were paid an ungodly sum to stage this nonsense with the assurances that after serving whatever time they would be sprung to the West, to fame and a hefty bank account? It’s not as far fetched as it sounds. The economic situation in Russia is desperate for many. And gullibility is universal. Russia is now divided on this issue; Putin probably embarrassed. In the game of international politics, that would be—quite literally—a very cheap operation with a huge payoff.  If you were a Western intelligence chief, wouldn’t you be tempted?

—Patrice Greanville

Pussy Riot Trial: Feminist Punk Band Guilty Of Hooliganism, Motivated By Religious Hatred

 Protesters from Moscow to New York and musicians including Madonna and Paul McCartney condemned the prosecution of the three women, members of a band called Pussy Riot. Several countries, including the U.S., and even some Kremlin loyalists decried the verdict.

Protesters donned the colorful balaclavas that have become a symbol of the band in many European and U.S. cities, though no single protest outside Moscow drew more than a few hundred people.

For three hours as the judge read the verdict, the defendants stood in handcuffs in a glass cage in the courtroom, the same one where oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, another Putin opponent, was convicted two years ago.

The charges carried a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, though prosecutors had asked for a three-year sentence.

Governments including the United States, Britain, France and Germany denounced the sentences as disproportionate.

Mikhail Fedotov, the head of a presidential advisory council on human rights, voiced hope that the sentence will be repealed or at least softened. Mikhail Barshchevsky, a lawyer who represents the Cabinet in high courts, said that the verdict had no basis in Russian criminal law.

The Pussy Riot case has underlined the vast influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. Although church and state are formally separate, the church identifies itself as the heart of Russian national identity and critics say its strength effectively makes it a quasi-state entity. Some Orthodox groups and many believers had urged strong punishment for an action they consider blasphemous.

The case comes in the wake of several recently passed laws cracking down on opposition, including one that raised the fine for taking part in an unauthorized demonstrations by 150 times to 300,000 rubles (about $9,000).

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