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Four wooden crosses were chopped down by unknown vandals in Russia over the weekend, in what the Orthodox Church claimed was a campaign to sow religious hatred.
Unknown men were seen chopping down a crucifix in the northern Arkhangelsk region on the night of August 25, while another three crosses were found cut to pieces near Chelyabinsk in the southern Urals.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the action, which comes just days after activists from Ukrainian women's rights group Femen cut down a crucifix in the capital Kiev, in a show of solidarity with three members of the all-female punk group Pussy Riot, who were sentenced to two years in jail for "religious hatred" for singing an anti-Putin protest song in Moscow's largest church in February.
Their trial sparked international condemnation, and split Russian society between traditional conservatives and liberal opposition supporters.
Femen threatened to carry out similar attacks on crosses across Russia, saying on Russia Today TV their chainsaw attack on the cross - a "Trash Prayer" - was a "warning" to President Putin and Patriarch Kirill that Femen would come after "the jerks responsible for their [Pussy Riot's] suffering with a chainsaw."
The Church has called for the offenders to be punished, but did not appear to link the latest incidents with the Femen protest.
"Those destroying these symbols are attempting to sow hatred between people," Arkhangelsk Metropolitan Daniil said.
The Chelyabinsk diocese said such incidents "put at risk the social peace, calm and welfare" of local people.
Russian human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin has condemned the cross attacks and demanded the offenders offer an explanation for their "senseless actions," in comments carried by state-run television.
Unknown men were seen chopping down a crucifix in the northern Arkhangelsk region on the night of August 25, while another three crosses were found cut to pieces near Chelyabinsk in the southern Urals.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the action, which comes just days after activists from Ukrainian women's rights group Femen cut down a crucifix in the capital Kiev, in a show of solidarity with three members of the all-female punk group Pussy Riot, who were sentenced to two years in jail for "religious hatred" for singing an anti-Putin protest song in Moscow's largest church in February.
Their trial sparked international condemnation, and split Russian society between traditional conservatives and liberal opposition supporters.
Femen threatened to carry out similar attacks on crosses across Russia, saying on Russia Today TV their chainsaw attack on the cross - a "Trash Prayer" - was a "warning" to President Putin and Patriarch Kirill that Femen would come after "the jerks responsible for their [Pussy Riot's] suffering with a chainsaw."
The Church has called for the offenders to be punished, but did not appear to link the latest incidents with the Femen protest.
"Those destroying these symbols are attempting to sow hatred between people," Arkhangelsk Metropolitan Daniil said.
The Chelyabinsk diocese said such incidents "put at risk the social peace, calm and welfare" of local people.
Russian human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin has condemned the cross attacks and demanded the offenders offer an explanation for their "senseless actions," in comments carried by state-run television.
PAGE 2
Two members of the female punk group Pussy Riot have fled Russia, while 12 women are still in the country, the group said on Sunday in its Twitter account.
“Two our members have left the country because of being sought [by the police]. They are recruiting foreign feminists for new protest actions,” the group said.
In a tweet that followed, Pussy Riot said “at least 12 Pussy Riot members remain in Russia.”
Three members of the all-female punk band Pussy Riot were jailed for two years for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, at a trial that sparked international condemnation.
Along with other members of their band, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, performed a "punk prayer" near the altar of Christ the Savior Cathedral in February urging the Virgin Mary to "drive out" Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Lawyers for Pussy Riot said the performance was not anti-religion and was in protest against the Orthodox Church's support for Putin ahead of the March 4 presidential elections that returned him to the Kremlin.
“Two our members have left the country because of being sought [by the police]. They are recruiting foreign feminists for new protest actions,” the group said.
In a tweet that followed, Pussy Riot said “at least 12 Pussy Riot members remain in Russia.”
Three members of the all-female punk band Pussy Riot were jailed for two years for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, at a trial that sparked international condemnation.
Along with other members of their band, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, performed a "punk prayer" near the altar of Christ the Savior Cathedral in February urging the Virgin Mary to "drive out" Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Lawyers for Pussy Riot said the performance was not anti-religion and was in protest against the Orthodox Church's support for Putin ahead of the March 4 presidential elections that returned him to the Kremlin.
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