Supporters and members of Pussy Riot were detained on Sunday after trying to storm the pitch at the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar between Argentina and France. Their intention was to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine, the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Iran’s oppression of women.
According to the Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation, Qatar security detained Pussy Riot member Nika Nikulshina, an associate of the protest group, Peter Verzilov, and a Ukrainian member of the group. The trio was reportedly stopped by security before they were able to storm the field.
Jaka Bizilj, founder of the Cinema for Peace Foundation, told Reuters that Verzilov told him that he was pulled back by security forces seconds before entering the pitch.
“When I texted with Peter he was in police detention,” Jaka Bizilj, founder of the Cinema for Peace Foundation, told Reuters.
Verzilov, a noted human rights activist and the publisher of independent media outlet Mediazona, is wanted by Moscow for his efforts.
It’s the second time Pussy Riot has attempted to interrupt a World Cup final. During the 2018 World cup final in Moscow, Pussy Riot activists, including Verzilov, stormed the pitch to draw attention to human rights abuses in Russia.
While they were unable to make it onto the pitch, Salt Bae made it and was able to have an impact of his own.
[Reuters]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.