Nadya Tolokno emphasizes how Pussy Riot! are in no way enemies of the church. They protest against Putin, and against the marriage of church and state through the actions of the patriarchs Father Kirill and Putin. What is happening here now is our government's alliance with Putin, and the push for Christian Nationalism—a disgusting perversion of Christ's messages. By praying to the Virgin Mary to remove Putin, they are appealing to the mercy and compassion of Mother Russia, aka the PEOPLE, and they were accused in the Russian court of hooliganism motivated by "religious hatred". Nadya and Pussy Riot! are the among bravest women on the planet. We need to be as brave. May their courage and heroism inspire us here in the U.S. to speak out against the powers that threaten the world's future.
In the FP Press book Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom, it didn’t surprise me that of all the tributes, Eileen Myles went straight to the heart of Pussy Riot’s action. To quote Eileen: “I realized the other day that the one piece of what you’ve done that feels most important to me is the strange and beautiful fact that your action supported a woman’s right to pray.”
If the idea of punk prayer as insurrection interests you, please get this book, and follow the story of Pussy Riot.