While the Russian punk group Pussy Riot faced their verdict, a collective of Melbourne artists gathered Friday night outside the General Post Office to proclaim, "We are all Pussy Riot" in support of the group.
Women and men of all ages made up this self-proclaimed "motley crew", wearing the iconic, brightly coloured Pussy Riot balaclavas and brandishing mandolins, double bass, guitars and glow-sticks as their "tools for action".
Braving the Melbourne cold and rain to show solidarity with the all female band, the evening was part of a global action yesterday to support the three young women. Their arrest and subsequent two year jail sentence has mobilised activists worldwide.
The event was organised by a group of Melbourne Pussy Riot supporters when they found out the verdict for the Russian trio had been expedited. To call the organisers an "official solidarity group" would be inaccurate. "There are no leaders," explains Casey Jenkins, one of the people who organised the evening’s events:
"It’s whoever wants to muck in and try and spread the word. We found each other through a Facebook group that was put up, then we had a couple of meetings in a café, conferred over the web and put together the events. We’ve specifically avoided inviting any politicians or high profile speakers because we want the event to be open to anyone and everyone."
"It’s all very grassroots and anarchistic," adds Leigh Ewbank, another organiser of the evening. "We’re just a bunch of individuals that really care about what happens to the Pussy Riot trio."
Photo by Bec Zajac.
The night’s proceedings involved banner and balaclava making and a candlelit vigil, followed by speeches and music by local artists. Many musicians came out in support of the Russian band, motivated by a desire to defend free speech and political expression in music.
Izzy, a rapper, who performed at the rally said, "More than their music, I think it’s the issue of being jailed for expressing yourself and for using music to express yourself that really struck a chord with me. I’ve spent time in prison myself and I use music as a way to talk about what’s going on in the world so that inspired me to get involved."
For others it was the group’s punk affiliations that resonated with them. Mitchell, whose playful mandolin strumming provided a soundtrack to parts of the evening, proclaimed, "It’s through punk music that I found politics so the idea that there is a feminist punk collective in Russia that’s saying things they think are important and they’re being oppressed means I couldn’t not be here".
Others were motivated by the movement’s feminist roots, "I think the fact that they’re all female makes what they do all the more audacious," Jenkins explains, "Women are expected to be docile and polite so that has really grabbed people’s attention. I know I was really inspired when I saw videos on Youtube of some of their early protests in which they performed to political prisoners from outside the jail walls and I just thought they were really gutsy. We all live under a patriarchal system worldwide so we’ve all got that battle to fight."
For many it was the idea of global solidarity that attracted them to the cause. "Obviously there’s national borders," states Guy, whose guitar was marked proudly with "Free Pussy Riot". "But there’s also the fact that we’re part of a global community and it’s important to take interest and to support those who are struggling and give them encouragement."
The collective had organised a number of actions leading up to this one. The first was in April on the parliament steps, which was not long after Pussy Riot had been arrested; this was followed by a fundraiser, involving local bands, burlesque performers and craft groups, but the momentum culminated in the protest, by far the largest gathering yet.
Photo by Bec Zajac.
The rally was characterised by the creative spirit of supporters and involved singing, dancing and performance but it was not without strong political motivations. Ewbank elaborates:
"Tomorrow morning the Russian ambassador is going to have to send a cable back to Moscow and in that he’s going to have to let his boss know that people in Melbourne have their eyes on what’s happening in Russia and are really concerned. We think that there has been a miscarriage of justice and a disproportionate sentencing for a tiny act of creativity. One minute of singing a song in a cathedral does not warrant years in prison so we’re joining citizens from all around the world to stand in solidarity with people that are champions of free speech, freedom of expression, and women’s rights".
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