美国国家公共电台 NPR Opinion: An Act Of Bravery At The World Cup

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

There was a conspicuous 1 act of bravery in this week's World Cup championship game. The French team, which won 4-2, was bold and deft 2. Many of their players are immigrants, or children of immigrants, from Africa. Their victory was also seen as a triumph over bigots in France, who vilified 3 and attacked immigrants. The Croatian national team was dauntless. Several of their players were from families who are refugees, fleeing a country torn by war.

But true daring occurred in the 52nd minute of the game. Three women and a man burst onto the field dressed in police-style uniforms. They were members of Pussy 4 Riot, which we should probably stop calling a punk music group that mounts protests because as authoritarianism 5 in Russia has deepened, Pussy Riot has become a collective of people who dare to stage artful protests against government repression 6. The playacting police Pussy Riot put out onto the field during the World Cup championship were intended to signal the roughly 80,000 people in the stadium, many of whom were visiting foreign football fans, that in the real Russia they couldn't see during the games, police and security forces intrude 7 into everyday life. The earthly policeman, Pussy Riot said on Facebook, gets ready to disperse 8 rallies, hurts everyone, persecutes 9 political prisoners; entering the ruleless (ph) game breaks our world apart. Pussy Riot called for political prisoners in Russia to be released, for police to stop arresting people at political rallies and an end to the government policing opinions on social media.

The four members of Pussy Riot have been sentenced to 15 days in prison. But you might wonder - would the world be surprised, or even much notice, now that the attention of the World Cup is gone, if the four aren't released in 15 days or at all? Would the president of the United States speak up for them?

A Russian activist 10 has shared a secret video clip that shows two of the Pussy Riot members who were arrested being interrogated 11. A furious policeman shouts, sometimes I regret that it's not 1937 - the time called the Great Terror in Russia under Josef Stalin, in which a million or more people were executed.

Pussy Riot knows the score. They live and strive in a country where activists 12, dissidents, artists and reporters can suffer for their bravery, and they went ahead with their action anyway, just below Vladimir Putin's cold smile. Pussy Riot are champions.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "POLICE STATE")

PUSSY RIOT: (Singing) Big smile for the camera. It's always on. It's all in the protocol 13. They tapped my phone. Golden idols 14 holding rivals. Take my body, anybody. I'm your trophy 15. Make my nose bleed. Now you own me. Oh, my God, I'm so happy, I could die. Oh, my God, I'm so happy, I could cry. Oh, my God, I'm so happy, I could cry. Everybody's doing the same thing, and it makes me happy, yeah. It makes me happy, yeah. Oh, my God.

SIMON: Pussy Riot.