Finnish duo attempt to copy Pussy Riot

Get short URL

Published time: August 06, 2012 10:04
Edited time: August 06, 2012 17:10

A pair of Finnish girl singers has tried to follow in the footsteps of Russia’s Pussy Riot and perform a stunt at the largest Orthodox Church in Western Europe, in Helsinki. But the women didn’t get inside the cathedral.

­Security had been stepped at orthodox churches in Finland following a tip off a performance was to take place in one of them.

“Professor of World Politics at the University of Helsinki Тeivo Teivainen tried to replicate the act of Pussy Riot at the Uspenski Cathedral. But they wouldn’t let him enter the venue,” Finnish human rights activist Johan Backman told Interfax agency.

“Apparently, somebody must have warned the priests,” he added.

With access to the Uspenski Cathedral denied, Teivainen who thought up the stunt, organised a performance nearby.

The girls wearing masks and mini skirts called for the release of the arrested members of the Pussy Riot and freedom for sexual minorities.

Three members of the Pussy Riot punk band are charged with hooliganism and could face up to seven years in prison for their performance on the altar of Russia’s main cathedral in February.

Their “punk prayer” featuring profane language criticizing President Vladimir Putin outraged Orthodox believers across the country, with many demanding severe punishment for what they saw as an act of “blasphemy.”

The Pussy Riot trio are currently on trial at a court in Moscow.