Things have gone from bad to worse for Pussy Riot at the Sochi Olympics. After Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were arrested and accused of theft yesterday (February 18), members of the group have now been attacked by Cossack militia armed with whips when attempting to stage a protest performance.
A group of Pussy Rioters, including Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, had donned balaclavas and were preparing to perform underneath an advertisement today when the security officials violently broke up the protest. They ripped the balaclavas off their heads, shoved them and hit them with horsewhips.
The Cossacks also attacked photographers, and one male member of Pussy Riot was left with a bloody face. The band's guitar was thrown into a garbage bin, and reports indicate that pepper spray may have been used.
"Under the banner Sochi 2014, to the sound of 'Putin will teach us to love the homeland,' Cossacks attacked Pussy Riot, beat us with whips and sprayed a lot of pepper gas at us," Tolokonnikova wrote on Twitter.
The whole incident lasted just a few minutes. It was caught on film, and footage from Sky News can be watched below. Viewers should proceed with discretion, since the footage is quite violent and not for the faint of heart.
Police later arrived on the scene, but no one was arrested
A group of Pussy Rioters, including Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, had donned balaclavas and were preparing to perform underneath an advertisement today when the security officials violently broke up the protest. They ripped the balaclavas off their heads, shoved them and hit them with horsewhips.
The Cossacks also attacked photographers, and one male member of Pussy Riot was left with a bloody face. The band's guitar was thrown into a garbage bin, and reports indicate that pepper spray may have been used.
"Under the banner Sochi 2014, to the sound of 'Putin will teach us to love the homeland,' Cossacks attacked Pussy Riot, beat us with whips and sprayed a lot of pepper gas at us," Tolokonnikova wrote on Twitter.
The whole incident lasted just a few minutes. It was caught on film, and footage from Sky News can be watched below. Viewers should proceed with discretion, since the footage is quite violent and not for the faint of heart.
Police later arrived on the scene, but no one was arrested
