Today the Royal Court hosted a reading of testimonies
written by members of Pussy Riot who have been jailed for ‘hooliganism’ and
other crimes against the sensibilities of the Russian state. They are in danger
of giving hooliganism a good name. Contrary to their media image they are
revolutionaries with provenance. They are operating within a cultural,
historical, philosophical and artistic rationale. It was humbling to hear their
words, which they have had time to compose as they have awaited trial for five months.
Their actions are an indictment of Putin’s totalitarian regime and his
co-opting of the Russian Orthodox Church to fool the masses.
A postscript. One of the accused drew attention to how in
earlier repressive times in Russia, art or poetry would be referred to as
‘so-called art’ or ‘so-called poetry’. This she said was a ‘so-called court’.
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