2018 World Cup: Final Delayed by Russian Protest Group

Four people ran onto the field during the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon, disrupting one of [...]

By Michael Hein

Four people ran onto the field during the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon, disrupting one of the biggest moments in sports around the world.

The foursome crashed the match during the second half, according to a report by the Associated Press. The World Cup final is being played in Moscow, Russia. The national teams from France and Croatia are facing off for dominance, but the runners threw a wrench into the competition.

Shortly afterwards, the activist band Pussy Riot took responsibility for the stunt. They posted on their official Facebook page explaining why they decided to stage an event at the match.

"The World Cup reminded the possibility of heavenly militiamen in the beautiful Russia of the future, but every day entering the game without the rules of the earth policeman destroys our world," read a translation of their post provided by Facebook.

The post included a list of six demands: "free all political prisoners, don't plant for likes, stop illegal arrests at rallies, allow political competition in the country, don't fabricate criminal cases and don't keep people just like that in sizo, turn the earth militiamen into heavenly militiamen."

The protesters reportedly took to the field in the 51st minute of the match. They entered near France's goal as the majority of players were at the Croatian end.

One of the intruders made it all the way to the center circle, but it wasn't long before they were all apprehended by security. All four were reportedly wearing suits and peaked caps. One of them even got a high five from a player on the French team. All in all, the disruption last about one minute, but it was enough to capture the world's attention.

The feminist punk band is known for staging highly visible protests like this before. Starting with their founding in 2011, they became known for "guerrilla performances" in public spaces without authorization.

The group is extremely critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they openly address as a dictator. In 2012, they performed inside of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, an act that got three of their members arrested on charges of "hooliganism." Two of them served sentences of two years each.

Still, those sacrificial arrests only helped the band's message spread. Pussy Riot is adept at using social media, and have become iconic to other feminist organizers around the world — particularly outside of Russia.

There is no word yet on what punishment awaits the World Cup intruders.

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