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Pussy Riot Support in Switzerland, the NYT and IHT

August 23, 2012   ·   0 Comments

Source: NYTX

By Daniel Warner:

The Pussy Riot phenomenon has come to Switzerland, the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune (IHT). Madonna’s concert in Zurich on August 18 and the subsequent manifestations of support for the Russian rockers in the land of Heidi showed considerable emotional connections with the three women recently jailed in Moscow. The young singers have become a cause célèbre, much like the blind Chinese dissident who was finally allowed to leave China and arrived to a hero’s welcome in the United States. An op-ed piece by Victor Erofeyev in the August 22 NYT and the August 23 IHT – the global edition of the New York Times – further supports the punk rock band and maintains that Russian “rulers have every reason to fear the protest movement.”

Why is there so much support for this female group besides astonishment at the severity of the punishment? There are several elements within their situation that touch the most basic assumptions of democratic societies. Freedom of speech is a sacrosanct part of Western political ideology. The right to criticize those in power is considered a cornerstone of democratic society and a fundamental human right. A dissident or opposition figure who is harassed or imprisoned because of political expression finds enormous resonance in the West. Freedom of religion is also a fundamental element. People are supposed to be able to worship or not worship as they see fit. That Pussy Riot disturbed a religious service in a Cathedral flaunts the sacredness of the Church and questions the distinct role of religion in Russian society. Finally, to both these freedoms should be added the freedom of women to be treated equally with men. The words of their songs, their dress and attitude are part of a feminist provocation.

The Russian Federation is not the Soviet Union. There were recently presidential elections; the Communist Party is not in power. But, the Russian Federation is not the United States or Switzerland, with hundreds of years of democratic culture. Elections do not make democracies. They are necessary but not sufficient. The provocations of Pussy Riot are part of movement pushing the boundaries of Russian culture. Pussy Riot is on the cutting edge of testing what is acceptable and not acceptable in Russia today, politically, religiously and sexually.

Those who support the group and manifested in Zurich and elsewhere are really saying that they want Russian Federation citizens to enjoy the same freedoms we do. The empathetic outburst of support reflects a deep desire in the West for the Russian Federation to be like us. But, as Paul Craig Roberts questions in his blog on August 20, is part of the support for the provocation merely an effort by the West to show its superiority? Are we so certain that the freedoms demanded in Russia by Pussy Riot and their followers are firmly embedded in the reality of Western societies today? Are the three freedoms mentioned above beyond questioning in the West?

The performance in the Cathedral and the harsh sentence reveal important insights into the evolution of Russian society post 1989. Whereas Erofeyev condemns the two-year prison term as a “verdict against Russia,” we should not criticize out of smugness but realize that “our freedoms” entail constant vigilance as well. Minimally, the Pussy Riot phenomenon should not be used, as Erofeyev does, to cover up our own lacunae. If Erofeyev states that “Russia refuses to be a modern civilized, society,” we in the West should be as attentive to our own situation as we are to those in the Russian Federation.

The editorial expresses anxiety about the future of Russia. In Erofeyev’s words, he fears that “a vast state will appear in which liberalism, democracy and personal freedoms are officially cursed and suppressed.” We should all be vigilant against that reality, wherever it may appear.

Daniel Warner is a political scientist living in Geneva, Switzerland, and the author of “An Ethic of Responsibility in International Relations”.

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