Watch Pussy Riot Perform at Banksy’s Dismaland for ‘Refugees In’ Video
Pussy Riot have released a music video for their song “Refugees In,” which the band is dedicating to refugees arriving in Europe from Syria, Afganistan, Sudan and other war-torn countries. The video features live footage filmed during the band’s September 25th performance at Banksy’s Dismaland attraction in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England, and was created with help from director Ralf Schmerberg and music producers BretonLABS and Ten Ven.
The politically charged “Refugees In,” which features lyrics like “Bombing people out of homes / We want peace, not fucking drones,” is, according to Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova, the first of several clips to come. “We are planning to release a lot of disturbing videos next year,” she said in a statement. “We hope that you will not like them.”
Additionally, Pussy Riot have joined with London-based art-group The Connor Brothers (Mike Snelle and James Golding) who have started the NGO “Refugee Response Foundation” to help refugees in Calais. The band will visit Calais in January to build shelters in association with students from the architecture department at Cambridge University to help the housing problem.
For their appearance at Banksy’s Dismaland, Pussy Riot performed “Refugees In” on a stage featuring fake protesters and riot police. In a statement to Rolling Stone, the members said: “Regardless of one’s political views, we have a moral duty to offer refuge to people fleeing war and persecution. We recognize the challenge faced by Europe in accepting hundreds of thousands of displaced people, but this is more than a political challenge – it is a humanitarian crisis and as such we must act together and rise to the challenge.
“Having experienced persecution during the two years we spent in a Russian prison and repeated incidents of attack by Russian authorities, we feel solidarity with those who suffer under oppressive regimes, and believe we have a moral duty to press governments into developing a united and comprehensive plan that puts humanity before politics.”