00:00Their mission, struggle, protest and resistance.
00:03Their tools, provocation, performance art and punk rock.
00:07The infamous Russian art-punk-provo combo Pussy Riot have embarked on a European tour.
00:13The tour kicked off in Paris on the 2nd of April.
00:16Next, the Russian group, famous for their rock prayer at Christ the Savior Cathedral,
00:21for which the members received actual prison sentences in 2012, performed in central France.
00:26They were hosted by the city of Tours at the iconic local venue, Bato Ivo.
00:32Riot Days is a performance based on the books by activist and artist Maria Alioquina.
00:37This is what happened with us and with our country for the last 10 years.
00:43This is an action Pussy Riot.
00:46This is the key events in modern history of our country,
00:51such as the annexation of Crimea, the murder of Alexei Navalny,
00:58protestant meetings from 2014 to 2022.
01:03Says Maria as she puts on an electronic ankle monitor,
01:06which Russian police use to track individuals under house arrest.
01:10She fled abroad with it in 2022, and now it serves as a prop in the group's concerts.
01:15Last September, the members of Pussy Riot were sentenced in absentia to prison terms ranging
01:21from 8 to 13 years, under a law regarding the dissemination of fake news about the Russian military,
01:27which is how the authorities label any report on the actual situation in the war,
01:32as well as the very word, war, when applied to Ukraine.
01:36And in December 2025, the group was designated an extremist organization.
01:41According to the activists, their loved ones in Russia are in effect being held hostage by the authorities.
01:47They were committed to a very hard search for all the relatives,
01:52all the team that got the legal department.
01:58Classical, at 6 o'clock, closed doors, people with masks,
02:026-hour calls, threats, threats with weapons.
02:07From arrests at anti-war protests and police violence
02:10to attacks on residential buildings in Ukrainian cities,
02:13Navalny in court the day before his death,
02:16and journalist Lavina's self-immolation outside the Ministry of Internal Affairs building,
02:21footage on a screen mounted on stage,
02:23immerses the audience in the grim reality of Russia.
02:51According to the participants, the war in Ukraine has been overshadowed
02:55in the media as of late by other conflicts in the Middle East,
02:59and Europe underestimates the power of Russian propaganda.
03:03After France, riot days will be shown in the Netherlands,
03:06Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and the UK.
03:10Pussy Riot, with a different line-up,
03:12will perform at the Venice Biennale in May
03:14with a protest statement against Russia's presence at the event.
03:18GMT
03:20Muhammad
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