I can’t help but wonder if Americans and Europeans are merely responding to a perception of Pussy Riot as damsels in distress or whether this case has struck at a deeper chord. Women and men already involved in the Occupy movement or other forms of activism seem to respond to Pussy Riot’s plight as much as those who have never been active (a sharp contrast from Kony), with the formation of groups like @PussyRiotChi and plans for a solidarity concert underway by Occupy Austin. Some see this as a way to attract freshly mobilized newcomers to the movement; others I’ve spoken to feel a deep sense of comraderie with these women who they see as political prisoners of a Church/State double-team that’s working hard at suppressing their rights worldwide.
