By the time most Canadians wake up on Friday, the Pussy Riot verdict will be in.
Three members of the 10-woman Russian feminist punk collective are on trial in Moscow for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, after a stunt at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. The band entered the church and performed “Punk Prayer,” a religious song protesting Russian President Vladimir Putin. If convicted, the three women face up to seven years in prison.
As the verdict nears, a global protest movement is in the works. Pussy Riot supporters will be sporting bright colours and knit balaclavas outside Russian consulates in more than 60 cities worldwide, including three in Canada. Most of the global protests are scheduled to take place around the time of the verdict, 2 p.m. in Moscow (4 a.m. ET, 1 a.m. PT).
The Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal protests are not scheduled until much later, at 12, 1 and 6 p.m. ET, respectively. Given the late timing of the Toronto protest, organizer Lynn Flatley told the Toronto Star, “It will either be a celebration or a continued protest.”
Protests have taken place since the arrests in March, largely in Russia. In recent weeks, protests have spread around the world, with high profile artists like Paul McCartney, Björk and Madonna speaking out in favour of Pussy Riot. The European Union and Amnesty International have also condemned the trial. Friday’s coordinated action is the movement’s largest protest to date.
This past Wednesday, Canadian artist Peaches posted a video in support of the band. She has also collected over 110,000 signatures on the online petition site change.org.
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