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Russian punk groupPussy Riot released a new song and video, “Track About Good Cop,” in the wake of their pitch invasion protest at Sunday’s World Cup final in Moscow.
The song moves between shimmering euro-pop and abrasive bursts of dance-punk. The lyrics seem to allude to the statement Pussy Riot shared after the pitch invasion, in which they spoke about the difference between the fair and just “heavenly policeman” and the oppressive “earthly policeman.”
The video for “Track About Good Cop” stars several men and one woman, dressed in Russian police uniforms and dancing in various locations, including a patrol car and in front of a snow-covered house. “Affairs with the power are not beautiful,” they sing. “There’s plenty of buzz in life without pulling your badge out/ Your affairs with power are careless/ It will betray you/ You will go to Siberia/ She will go to eternity.”
Pussy Riot’s “Policeman Enters the Game” protest at the World Cup saw four members – Veronica “Nika” Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, Olga Pakhtusova and Petya Verzilov – run on to the pitch wearing old-fashioned police uniforms. Following the protest, the group issued a list of demands that included more political competition and freedom of speech in Russia, the release of political prisoners and the end to arrests at political rallies.
The four members involved in the “Policeman Enters the Game” stunt were sentenced to 15 days in jail. They are also prohibited from attending “sports events” for three years.
“Track About Good Cop” coincidentally arrives on the same day the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for its treatment of Pussy Riot following their infamous 2012 “punk prayer” protest in a Moscow cathedral. Per Reuters, the court ruled that Pussy Riot members were judged too severely – two members spent over two years in jail – and subjected to humiliating treatment. The court ordered Russia to pay €48,760 in damages and judicial expenses.
