Pussy Riot members Nadya Tolokonnikova (left) and Masha Alekhina (right) spoke at Penn Museum last semester.
Credit: Lulu WangRussian punk rock protest group Pussy Riot visited Cornell University last Wednesday, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. The visit was part of Punkfest Cornell, “a week-long celebration of punk music and its history.”
Pussy Riot promotes LGBTQ rights and feminism, both of which Russian president Vladimir Putin has denounced.
Pussy Riot gained traction in February 2012 after performing in front of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The performance resulted in the arrest of two members, prompting outrage in Russia and around the globe.
According to The Cornell Daily Sun, the group’s visit consisted of a documentary detailing the members’ experience in prison and a panel with member Maria Alyokhina and Pussy Riot collaborator Alexander Sasha. Maria Alyokhina emphasized that her story is not “unique or special” and that when faced with a difficult situation, everyone has to choose “to act or to stay aside.”
The group came to the Penn Museum last March.
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