The arrest caused an outcry around the world among free-speech advocates, demanding that the band members be released from prison. Hundreds turned out at Igor Stravinsky Square in central Paris to hail the women as martyrs to the cause of freedom. Smaller crowds rallied in Kiev, Ukraine; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, Belgrade, Serbia; London; and Washington, D.C.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, pleaded not guilty to the “premeditated act of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” charges. Since their arrest, various musicians have publicly lent their support, including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Sting.
Madonna said "art should be political" and urged the musical community to no longer sit idly by and allow fellow musicians to face such challenges and threats alone.
Amnesty International, which had appealed for the womens release as part of a worldwide outcry against the Putin regime's harsh reaction, said that the latest guilty verdict "a bitter blow" for freedom of expression in modern day Russia.
Meanwhile, a Toronto-based electro group called Austra, led by Katie Stelmanis, has created a video in support of Pussy Riot. They tweeted a link to the short Friday morning, after news of the guilty verdict broke. "Please watch and know that the fight isn't over yet," they wrote. The video includes a quote from American comedian and social critic Lenny Bruce -- "If you can't say, 'F***' you can't say 'F*** the government" -- and this message from the band: "Peace for Pussy Riot and all political prisoners who are unjustly silenced."
