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If you were watching the 2018 World Cup Finals on Sunday morning, there’s a good chance you caught four people running across the field in police uniforms. One protester even had enough time to high five France forward Kylian Mbappe.
Minutes after this occurrence, the Russian protest group Pussy Riot took responsibility for the demonstration, making announcements on social media elaborating on their purpose. One of their main demands was freedom for political prisoners such as Oleg Sentsov, who was detained in 2014 for his outspoken criticism of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The members’ cases are being heard in court on Monday, but this isn’t the first time they’ve been in the news cycle. Here are some things you should know about them.
1 Pussy Riot Doubles As A Punk Rock Group
In addition to being a punk-feminist protest group, they also make music. Since their inception in 2012, they’ve created two albums and two EPs.
2 Three Of The Members Were Put in Prison in 2012
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Ekaterina Samutsevich were arrested for performing their music in a major Orthodox cathedral, in which they “disrupted public order” and “the day-to-day running of the Cathedral.” They also “showed blatant disrespect to church-goers and workers, and in doing so gravely offended their religious sensibilities.” They were sentenced to three years in prison.
3 They Performed in Sochi During the 2014 Winter Olympics
Members of the group attempted to perform about 20 miles from where the Winter Olympics were being held, when they were attacked by Cossack members, part of a local militia who are used by police to help patrol the town. The group was physically attacked by the Cossacks, who beat them with whips and sprayed them with pepper spray. Days afterward, members of Pussy Riot were detained for three hours by police for reportedly questioning over a theft at a local hotel.
4 They Made Their Own ‘Make America Great Again’ Music Video Mocking Trump
The group’s latest single from their EP, titled XXX, borrows its name from U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan. They said in an interview with Variety that while Russia and Putin are their top priority for critique, they acknowledge the ways in which Trump’s political agenda has allowed the rise of “old-world misogynist patriarchal assholes who care about their money and power more than about anything else in life.” The song has even been covered by American artist Miguel.
