Pussy Riot, the Russian punk protest band, is out with a new song inspired by Eric Garner, the New York man who died last year after police put him in a chokehold. The song, “I Can’t Breathe,” is the band’s first in English. The title refers to Garner’s gasping words as he was taken down by officers who suspected him of selling illegal cigarettes. A grand jury declined to indict the officer who used the hold.
The band’s two most prominent members, Masha Alyokhina and Nadia Tolokonnikova, said in a statement that the song is dedicated to “all who suffer from state terror — killed, choked, perished because of war and police violence.” Pussy Riot, strongly opposed to President Vladimir Putin, made headlines last year during the Sochi Olympics when its members, wearing colorful balaclavas, were beaten and pepper-sprayed by Russian Cossacks.
IN-DEPTH
- Pussy Riot Goes to Congress: Activists Meet Leaders
- Pussy Riot Tapes Music Video During Police Clash
- Lawyers Urge Release of Garner Grand Jury Records
