Five women dressed like members of female punk group Pussy Riot took the stage during a U.S. band's Moscow concert, shouting anti-Putin slogans and calling on the audience to support suspected band members jailed on hooliganism charges.
When Faith No More was expected to sing one of its hits in Moscow's Stadium Live club late Monday, the audience instead saw five women wearing colorful facemasks — a symbol associated with Pussy Riot, a band that has been in the media spotlight since giving an anti-Kremlin performance in Christ the Savior Cathedral in February.
Three suspected band members have been placed under arrest and face up to seven years in prison.
At the Monday performance, the women lit flares and shouted anti-Putin slogans. A YouTube video credited to Novaya Gazeta shows them unfolding a banner urging people to go to the Tagansky District Court on Wednesday, when the Pussy Riot case will be heard.
Faith No More also performed their final songs in colorful masks as a tribute, Interfax reported.
The female punk band has split Russian society, with some urging their prosecution for their sacrilegious performance and others calling for mercy.
This is not the first time that international artists have shown support for Pussy Riot. On June 12, Beastie Boys member Adam Horowitz took part in a New York gig calling for the women's release.
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