Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov / Getty Images

Pussy Riot Stage On-Field Protest During World Cup Final

By Tom Williams

UPDATE: Pussy Riot Members Jailed Over World Cup Protest

ORIGINAL STORY: Russian punk collective Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility for an on-field protest during the Word Cup final in Moscow.

Four members of the band and activist group rushed the field at Luzhniki Stadium while dressed as police officers. They were apprehended by security, but not before one of the protestors managed to high five French player Kylian Mbappé.

Following the protest, Pussy Riot took to social media to claim responsibility and share a list of demands for the Russian government, including freeing political prisoners, allowing “political competition” in the country and ending “illegal arrests at protests”.

In a video message (below) called ‘Policeman Enters The Game’, the group shared footage of the incident and video of their members being questioned by authorities.

In a written statement, the group said their protest was inspired by Russian poet Dimitriy Prigov, who “created an image of a policeman, a carrier of the heavenly nationhood, in Russian culture”.

The “heavenly policeman”, according to the band, is in contrast to the “earthly policeman” working in Russia today.

“The FIFA World Cup has reminded us of the possibilities of the heavenly policeman in the Great Russia of the future, but the earthly policeman, entering the ruleless game breaks our world apart,” the statement reads.

Since releasing the statement and video, Pussy Riot have taken to Twitter to tell their followers, “Four pussy riot members are still (6 hours!) in the police station ‘luzhniki’. The police don’t let our lawyer to see the activists.”

Watch the band’s video and read their statement in full, below.

France beat Croatia to claim the 2018 World Cup Final with a score of 4-2.

Tom Williams
Tom Williams

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