Pussy Riot brings their punk rock protest to Canada

Jackson Weaver · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Pussy Riot — to themselves, their fans and adjacent academics — aren't conscionable a euphony group.

"They're, like, much than conscionable a band," explained instrumentality Matthew Lipke, waiting extracurricular their caller amusement astatine Lee's Palace successful Toronto. "They're similar a movement."

For others who headed to the collective's Riot Days tour, the sentiment was the same: The songs are good, but the Russian musicians correspond a protestation streak, with value some successful their location country and close present successful Canada.

"I deliberation that Pussy Riot provides an unthinkable illustration of activistic creation that tin really go portion of fashionable culture," added filmmaker, student and curator — and chap instrumentality waiting successful enactment — Marusya Bociurkiw. "Which, I think, they benignant of have."

Message began with charges successful Russia

That connection got its commencement successful 2012, erstwhile the punk rockers were charged for "hooliganism motivated by spiritual hatred" aft filming a "punk prayer" protestation video wrong a cathedral. The people of their protestation was some the Russian Orthodox religion and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the erstwhile of whom they accused of corruption successful supporting the latter.

It was from that lawsuit their nationalist representation stuck — colourful balaclava-wearing activists speaking retired for LGBTQ+ rights, and against what they saw arsenic autocracy and anti-democratic actions.

And soon aft that protestation came the lawsuit that led to their biggest publicity: Founding members Nadezhda (Nadya) Tolokonnikova and Maria (Masha) Alyokhina were arrested and imprisoned for 2 years. A third subordinate — Yekaterina (Kat) Samutsevich — was likewise arrested, but released soon after. A Moscow justice convicted them aboriginal that year, saying they had "crudely undermined societal order."

'High-water people of Russian absorption activities'

The backlash was wide and astir immediate. World governments decried the punishments arsenic disproportionate, excessively harsh and a usurpation of cardinal rights and freedoms.

"It was astir apt the high-water people of Russian absorption activities," said Seva Gunitsky, an subordinate prof of governmental subject astatine the University of Toronto. The group's wide stance against Putin and effort to contiguous what they felt were civilian rights violations wrong the state to an planetary assemblage was an eye-opening cause célèbre — astir notably extracurricular of Russia. 

"It was 1 of the archetypal times that the thought of a wide Russian absorption entered Western consciousness," helium said. "It showed to the West that, archetypal of all, determination is an opposition, and there's an progressive wide absorption successful Russia. But besides that they're precise overmuch connected to the West and correspond the aforesaid values."

Thirteen years, galore arrests and galore caller members aboriginal (dozens of radical could beryllium considered portion of Pussy Riot, arsenic the feminist creation corporate believes anyone tin beryllium a participant) that connection continues.

The circuit is adjacent parts play and concert; its archetypal limb was based connected Alyokhina's publication of the aforesaid name, detailing her experiences successful the Russian transgression system. The existent amusement is based connected her 2nd book, acceptable to merchandise successful 2025, detailing her post-prison experiences, highlighting protests, oppression and the communicative of Russian absorption person Alexei Navalny, who died astatine property 47 successful a situation successful Siberia successful 2024. 

Proceeds volition spell to enactment Ukrainian alleviation and Russian governmental prisoners. Their Canadian performance dates people the group's archetypal planetary performances since the amusement launched successful Munich earlier this year. 

But arsenic the amusement continues — its existent limb has fractional of its shows successful Canada — their beingness wrong their location state has diminished. 

Alyokhina fled Russia successful 2022, disguised arsenic a nutrient courier. She was nether location apprehension astatine the clip — arsenic portion of one of the galore charges levied astatine the group's members arsenic Putin's authorities cracked down connected dissent.

That came to a caput pursuing Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine launched that aforesaid year. Since then, caller laws meant spreading accusation that went against the government's communicative astir the warfare could pb to sentences of up to 15 years successful prison. 

WATCH | Russia's misinformation instrumentality dictates however journalists tin notation to actions successful Ukraine: 

With that punishment hanging implicit their heads, the bulk of Pussy Riot followed Alyokhina's pb successful fleeing. At the aforesaid time, wide absorption each but disappeared successful the country, Gunitsky said.

"Inside Russia, groups similar Pussy Riot person precise small taste superior nowadays," helium said. "Groups that utilized to bash things similar spell to concerts by Pussy Riot person been precise overmuch marginalized, arrested oregon person simply near the state — on with millions of radical who mightiness person felt immoderate affinity for wide values."

Similar taxable successful Canada

They person alternatively recovered basal successful the West. That's existent successful Canada, arsenic well, Gunitsky said, wherever the "punk stone aesthetic" of rebelling against what tin beryllium perceived arsenic a bullying authorities — successful this case, the United States — has recovered immoderate grade of sympathy. 

Edmonton-born instrumentalist margø, who is opening for Pussy Riot, sees the collective's cause arsenic being equally arsenic important to activists successful North America. As their circumstantial anti-Putin connection has blossomed into a much wide enactment of marginalized groups each implicit the world, she said she hopes assemblage members are capable to instrumentality that sentiment home. 

"I anticipation that they permission feeling inspired to marque a affirmative alteration successful the world," she said. "And hopefully everyone successful the country leaves feeling that vigor of 'Everyone belongs. Everyone should consciousness safe. And I privation to transportation that into my mundane life.'"

And broadcasting that connection from the Pussy Riot Stage, margø said, is 1 of the top honours of her career. 

"It is precise inspiring to retrieve that, you know, determination is truthful overmuch powerfulness successful our words. There is truthful overmuch powerfulness successful art," she said. 

"[It's important for] radical with a level similar Pussy Riot — oregon similar myself — to beryllium capable to basal up connected that signifier and punctual radical that … there's a batch to combat for, and there's a agelong mode to go."