ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Despite official pressure, a music festival to support jailed band members of Pussy Riot has taken place in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city and President Vladimir Putin's hometown.
Organizer Olga Kurnosova said city officials had tried to force her to cancel the show, while firefighters threatened to close down Glavklub concert hall in the city center because of alleged safety violations ahead of Sunday's "Free Pussy Riot Fest."
About a thousand people attended the show headlined by Russian rock protest bands DDT and Televizor, whose songs have long riled Soviet authorities and Putin's Kremlin.
Russian media reported that police detained four people afterwards.
Three members of Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in jail for a "punk prayer" against Putin in Russia's largest cathedral.
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