Timber! For Pussy Riot
Normally I’d draw the line between naked protest and naked property destruction, but given the role the Russian Orthodox church has played in the persecution of Pussy Riot, I can’t really fault the brave girls of FEMEN for cutting down a huge crucifix in Kiev:
Pictures from FEMEN.
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Umm, the Russian Orthodox church has already officially pardoned Pussy Riot and asked for leniency. The problem is the Russian justice, not the church.
Cutting down crosses directs anger against the wrong party and is very unlikely to be helpful.
Crosses in public spaces should be cut down. Not because of Pussy Riot but because they have no place in a secular state.
Destruction of someone else’s property always muddies the waters regarding freedom of speech. Indeed, in the early 1990s US flag burning case, none of the justices had any interest in the plaintiff’s argument until they found out that the flag burned had been pulled off of a private building.