“The
Prisoner,” originally the b-side of the “(White
Man) In Hammersmith Palais” single released in June 1978, later included on
the Black
Market Clash EP (1980) and the
expanded version, Super Black Market
Clash (1994).
This song is, of course, sadly
appropriate today:
(Reuters) - Three women from Russian
punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail on Friday for their
protest against President Vladimir Putin in a church, an outcome supporters
described as the Kremlin leader’s “personal revenge”.
The band’s supporters
burst into chants of “Shame” outside the Moscow courthouse and said the case
showed Putin’s refusal to tolerate dissent. The U.S. embassy in Moscow said the
sentence appeared disproportionate to what the defendants did.
…
“The girls’ actions were
sacrilegious, blasphemous and broke the church’s rules,” Judge Marina Syrova
told the court as she spent three hours reading the verdict while the women
stood watching in handcuffs inside a glass courtroom cage.
She declared all three
guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, saying they had
deliberately offended Russian Orthodox believers by storming the altar of
Moscow’s main cathedral in February to belt out a song deriding Putin.
Two years in jail for hurting a politician’s
feelings. I wonder if George W. Bush saw that when he looked into Putin’s eyes.
Look, I know it’s fashionable to call America a
police state, and there are times when I empathize with that sentiment. But
take a hard look at this case and tell me whether you really think we’re as bad
as Russia – let alone Syria, or Iran, or any one of the dozens of countries
where you can be jailed for offending their leader.
In the United States, the current administration
urged local police departments not
to arrest Occupy protesters last year – a story many Occupy supporters got
completely wrong, by the way – while in Russia punk rockers get two years in
jail for criticizing the President.
Not exactly the same.
In any event, here’s a live version of “The
Prisoner” recorded in France in 1977:
So, there it is. Your Friday Clash Song.
Turn. It. Up. And stay out of trouble.
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