Russian activism group Pussy Riot films pro-abortion demonstration at Indiana Statehouse

Russian feminist activism group Pussy Riot filmed demonstrations outside of and within the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday as part of a multimedia project protesting Indiana’s near-total abortion ban.

Nadya Tolokonnikova, creator of the group that rose to prominence through early 2010s protests in her native Russia, led a gathering of 18 women – mostly Indiana University students. The group, dressed in black slip dresses, black boots and wearing pearl necklaces and bright-pink balaclava face coverings painted with black anarchy symbols and black crosses, gathered outside the Statehouse just before 8 a.m. Within minutes, they had inflated a large pink vagina and begun filming.

The footage will be spliced with other visual art pieces and set to a song entitled “God Save Abortion.” The video was released Tuesday afternoon.

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“I read on news sites that Indiana was the first state to install a near-total ban on abortion,” Tolokonnikova told IndyStar. “I believe in bodily autonomy. It’s a fundamental pillar of human rights.”

Tolokonnikova was a guest speaker at an Indiana University event in Bloomington on Monday, organized in part by Maria Bucur, a history and gender studies professor who also participated in Tuesday’s protest.

IndyStar has asked Gov. Eric Holcomb's office and Indiana House Republicans if they have any response to the event.

'We want to bring visibility and support to people who do not feel protected'

Pussy Riot’s strategy has long been to accompany protest action with art, which Tolokonnikova said “has potential to amplify a message exponentially.” The group, which is often called a punk band, believes music is only one part of the equation.

“I didn’t know how to make music, but I did it anyway,” she said. “It’s not about quality. It’s about the message.”

Tolokonnikova has been an active advocate for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ issues for years. She was famously jailed in Russia for more than a year following a protest against the Russian Orthodox Church. The country has since branded her a “foreign agent.”

Tolokonnikova said the demonstration seeks to advocate for federal abortion protections, as well as for state and federal courts to accept guidance from Pussy Riot-approved advisers on reproductive issues.

“We want to bring visibility and support to people who do not feel protected or feel vulnerable in red states,” Tolokonnikova said. “We’re not here to cause hurt or change the minds of people who hate us. We’re here for that 16-year-old version of me living in Indiana – to tell her you don’t have to listen to your parents, your teachers or your state if you want control of your own body.”

Pussy Riot films protest inside and outside Indiana Statehouse

The Tuesday morning protest outside of the Statehouse was over within minutes.

A smaller group of five demonstrators then entered the Statehouse. One woman held a sign advertising Pussy Riot and the new song up to the Statehouse's outer door but did not hang it.

While inside, they posed for photos and recorded videos outside of the Indiana Court of Appeals and along the upper floor of the building.

Neither group was contacted by police or staff during the demonstrations, which Tolokonnikova called “as smooth as it can get.”

IU students, professor participate in Pussy Riot demonstration

Lindsey Grutchfield, one of Bucur’s master’s students at IU, learned of the demonstration at the Monday campus event.

“I feel strongly that abortion is a right every woman should have access to,” she said. “It’s not often you have a way to demonstrate your beliefs in a way this powerful.”

Sophia Dunn-Walker is an artist and director who traveled to Indiana from Los Angeles for the event. She said she was concerned over the “slow burn” of women’s rights in this part of the country.

“As a sexual assault survivor, I can’t imagine a woman being forced to carry a pregnancy that she did not want,” she said. “Women have a right to autonomy and privacy.”

Dunn-Walker has family in the Midwest and believes many who live here are good people who happen to be conservative.

“I would encourage people here to listen to women’s stories,” she said.

Zoe Bardon, an IU senior who helped organize Tolokonnikova’s campus event, said she was eager to participate in a different form of activism.

“I’m used to marching or talking to the legislature,” Bardon said.

An Indianapolis native, Bardon plans to leave the state after graduating in May. The Indiana state legislature’s move to ban abortions left her feeling “enraged and inflamed," she said.

“I can’t start a career somewhere without access to reproductive health care,” she added.

Bucur, who has taught at IU since 1996, said Tuesday’s protest appealed to her as a feminist activist in Indiana.

“I lead by modeling,” she said with a laugh as she looked down at her protest attire. “Whether it’s in a slip or in pants.”

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pussy Riot films pro-abortion demonstration at Indiana Statehouse