Anti-Kremlin protesters invade the field during the World Cup final



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The final of the World Cup between France and Croatia was interrupted Sunday when four intruders, affiliated with the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot, ran into the field before d & # 39; be hoisted by the commissioners.

The invaders, who were dressed in police uniforms, were later arrested by the police, said one of them to Reuters by telephone from a police station near the Moscow Luzhniki Stadium. where the match was taking place. suspected of violating the rules of participation in a sporting event and illegally wearing police uniforms, the Interfax News Agency reported:

The offense punishable by 39, a maximum fine of 10,000 rubles (160.92 euros) with ban on attending sports events of up to three years. The wearing of a police uniform illegally carries a fine of 1,000 to 1,500 rubles

The invasion of land was the first significant security breach in the five-week tournament which earned Russia's praise for the organization and efficiency. on his Facebook page, the group said his action was aimed at drawing attention to what he said were human rights violations in Russia.

Three members of Pussy Riot were jailed in 2012 for organizing a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The church and the group have since become a symbol of direct anti-Kremlin action.

In the second half of Sunday's match, the three people wearing white shirts with police-style epaulettes, black pants, and police hats ran on the field. the area behind the French goal. A fourth person tried to run on the field but was sidelined.

The three riders traveled about 50 meters, dispersing in different directions, before stewards wearing high-visibility jackets slammed them into the field.

A photo taken on social networks showed one of the invaders, a blond haired woman hidden under a police cap, performing a high-five with French player Kylian Mbappe before being caught.

The match from the Putin grandstands and the French and Croatian presidents was stopped, but resumed around 25 seconds later. A witness at the stadium said that he had seen the police escort the ground invaders off the stadium grounds.

Olga Kurachyova, a member of Pussy Riot, told Reuters that she was one of the invaders and that she was being held at the Luzhniki Police Station. She said that she could not speak further because the police were trying to take her cell phone.

Croatian defender Dejan Lovren, who pushed the intruder out on the pitch, told reporters that the incident had interrupted the game at a significant time. For his team.

"We had good football and then an interruption came," he said. "I just lost my head and I caught the guy and wished I could throw him away from the stadium."

List of claims

In his post Facebook, Pussy Riot complained of abuse of rights in Russia. He referred to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned for 20 years in 2015 for setting fire to two offices in Crimea, including one belonging to Russia's ruling party, after the annexation of the region by Ukraine in Moscow

. political prisoners in Russia, freedom of speech on the Internet, freedom to demonstrate, and allow political competition.

The group shared a social media video recorded prior to the incident featuring three activists, of whom at least two were. They were wearing police uniforms and one of them was wearing a pink balaclava.

"The World Cup has shown wonderfully how the police may be in Russia, but what will happen next?" Asked one of the activists.

A separate video posted on social media seemed to show moments after the invaders had been arrested.

You could see two of them, a man and a woman standing in a room, dressed in disheveled police uniforms, while an off camera voice required that handcuffs be brought.

"Do you know that Russia will pay for this to FIFA by sanctions?" said the voiceover, Ton. "You wanted to shit on Russia, is not it?"

"We are for Russia," the prisoner replied.

"Sometimes I regret that it is not in 1937". This year was the height of political repression led by the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin

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