Pussy Riot has responded to the sentencing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg — whose trial was deliberately accelerated in order to prevent protesting — in video called "Witches of Pussy Riot Clean Manezhka," which calls Russians to demonstrate outside the Kremlin.
The song features four words repeated over and over: "Clean. Honest. Word. Deed," and the clip shows Pussy Riot members Masha Alekhina, Nadya Tolokonnikova and other activists putting on lipstick, pulling stockings up their legs, and heading to Manezhka Square in downtown Moscow with brooms. They appear to clean the area before flying off on their brooms like witches.
"This is above all a propaganda video," Tolokonnikova told BuzzFeed News. "We're calling on people to follow the example of the witches and come out onto Manezhka and fly in the direction of the Kremlin."
Although it initially looks like the women are getting ready for a date in the video, they are actually getting ready for a protest.
"In this way, it's a play on the classic stereotype that for girls/princesses/Cinderellas, the most important thing is a prince/date/man, and the place of the prince is taken by politics," Tolokonnikova said.
Watch the video for yourself below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
