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Updated
July 16, 2018 09:17:00
The protest group Pussy Riot, which has long been a thorn in Vladimir Putin's camp, claimed responsibility for four people who interrupted the World Cup final between France and Croatia by running on field in police uniform. He faced three women and one man who opened the scoring in the 52nd minute of one of the world's most watched sports events.
Croatian defender Dejan Lovren pushed the man, helping a steward to detain him
one of the women reached the center of the squad and shared a double high-five with the # French striker Kylian Mbappe
"Hello everyone on Luzhniki's field, it's awesome here," said Pussy Riot on Twitter.
The punk political group issued a statement calling for the release of political prisoners, the end of "illegal arrests" of protesters and "political competition" in Russia.
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It was not clear whether Pussy Riot was using the uniforms as a trick to enter the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. "The citizens in question were taken to the local police station," said the Moscow branch of the Russian Interior Ministry, without providing further details.
A video was broadcast on Russian. Social media after the match appeared to show two of the protesters, still in police uniform, interrogated at a police station.
The Internet TV channel Dozhd identified the protester as Pyotr Verzilov, one of the most prominent members of the group.
Under the barking of a man off camera, Mr. Verzilov says: "I am for Russia, just like you – if you are for Russia."
"I sometimes wish it to be in 1937," says the man off the screen, referring to the year when the Stalinist purges were at their peak.
Pussy Riot took on a global scale after singing a hoarse song denouncing Mr. Putin in Moscow. Two of them, including Mr Verzilov's wife, served a prison sentence of almost two years.
million. Putin was watching the final of the Cup with his French and Croatian counterparts and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, among other dignitaries.
France won the match 4-2.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The local organizing committee of the event said it did not have any additional information
. International TV shows, even though FIFA's policy is usually to cut when fans and others are running on the pitch.
AP
Topics:
Football World Cup,
world politics,
Russian Federation
Published
July 16, 2018 7:51:06 AM
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