Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Reality of Life in Not Quite Absolute Marxist Countries...

Russian security forces attacked members of the protest group Pussy Riot with horsewhips on Wednesday as they tried to perform in Sochi, the Olympic host city.

Five female group members and one male member donned their signature ski masks and were pulling out a guitar and microphone as at least ten Cossacks and other security officials moved in. Cossaks are used by Russian police to patrol the streets.

The punk group had gathered at a nearby restaurant before heading out onto the street.

One Cossack appeared to use pepper spray and another whipped several group members. One allegedly threw a guitar into a nearby bin.

One Pussy Riot member, a man wearing a bright yellow tank top, was left with blood on his face, saying he had been pushed to the ground.

The Cossacks pulled masks from women's heads, allegedly beating group member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova with a whip as she lay on the ground, according to The Associated Press.

Police arrived and questioned witnesses, but did not make any arrests.

Yesterday, Ms Alyokhina and Ms Tolokonnikova were released after being detained near the site of the Winter Olympics in downtown Sochi

In 2012, Ms Tolokonnikova, alongside fellow band members Ms Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after performing a protest song highly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s main cathedral.

They were released from prison following an amnesty from the government in December last year, having served 18 months of their two-year sentences.