Supporters of the punk rock band Pussy Riot bared their breasts, covered their faces with ski masks and cross dressed Friday in a series of raucous protests that stretched from New York to Copenhagen to denounce the musicians' conviction in a Russian court.
In a Paris square, supporters followed the trial by phone and shouted in unison with protesters in Moscow. In Kyiv, Ukraine, four women, one whom was topless, used a chainsaw to cut down a cross. And in cities across North American and Europe, young people donned the neon-coloured balaclavas that have become symbols of the band.
The three women, who have been in jail for more than five months because of a guerrilla performance denouncing President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main cathedral, were convicted on charges of hooliganism driven by religious hatred and each sentenced to two years in prison.
"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 "punk prayer" deriding Putin.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Marina Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, giggled as the judge read out the sentences one by one, but portrayed themselves as victims of Soviet-style persecution during the trial that began on July 30.
They have been in jail for about five months, meaning they will serve another 19, and could be released if Putin pardons them. The Orthodox Church hinted it would not oppose such a move by appealing, belatedly, for mercy.
The trial has been seen as a symbol of Russia's intolerance of dissent, especially under the reign of Putin, and a series of colourful and raucous protests have attracted worldwide attention to the feminist rockers' fate. Celebrities including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Bjork have called for the band members to be freed.
Governments including the United States, Britain, France and Germany joined the chorus Friday, denouncing the sentences as disproportionate.
But Friday's demonstrations - none of which attracted more than a few hundred people - seemed unlikely to gain the momentum needed to exert any real pressure on Russia's government.
Still, one protester in Berlin who used to be an East German dissident underscored the importance of continuing even seemingly futile calls for changes.
"I remember the times when we were in opposition ... the signs from other countries were very, very important," said Marianne Birthler, who also served as head of a post-reunification commission that investigated the East German intelligence service. "So we knew what we are doing is recognized and there are people who are willing to support us and who follow what happens to us. That's the reason we are here now."
Canadian supporters of the band rallied Friday outside Russia's consulate in Toronto.
About 100 people gathered to show solidarity for Pussy Riot following the feminist rockers' conviction and sentencing.
Some protesters turned to music to voice their disapproval for the ruling, brandishing guitars or bagpipes as well as placards.
Sheila Hart-Owens, a women's studies student, said it's "really important" to stand up for the jailed musicians.
"We're a global community, and if you don't think it's wrong what's happening with them, then you should start thinking," she said.
A protester who helped spread word of the demonstration online said she was upset by the band's plight.
"They did a peaceful performance of a song," Lynn Flatley said. "It was their artistic expression, a political statement."
In London, some men at the gathering in the British capital even wore dresses in solidarity.
"These three girls are just the tip of the iceberg," said Adam Adamson, a 26-year-old who set up the Facebook page for the London protest. "Many have been arrested because they were opposing Putin."
In New York, about 40 protesters gathered, holding up banners that read: "We are all hooligans."
In Barcelona, more than 50 colourfully garbed demonstrators sang and danced to Pussy Riot songs as they protested outside the Sagrada Familia church.
"Russia may be a mixture of Europe and Asia which means it has a unique approach to religion, but we know this is not really a religious issue," said Andrei Viachenko, a 28-year-old Russian doctoral student studying in Spain.
