Pussy Riot Rallies With Daniel Biss In Chicago Show

CHICAGO, IL — Gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss will take the stage will Russian feminist art collective Pussy Riot Tuesday, his campaign announced. The Evanston state senator seeking the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor will be joined by activists from the group Reclaim Chicago at the event 9:30 p.m. at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. in Chicago.

It was not clear from the announcement if the punk protest group would be formally endorsing Biss' gubernatorial campaign at the event. However, the group has retweeted several messages of support for the self-described "middle-class candidate," and in a list of its upcoming tour dates, the band described Biss as "an anti-corporate candidate & activist."

Pussy Riot came to international prominence when they were jailed on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for a performance inside a Moscow cathedral in protest of the patriarch's endorsement of President Vladimir Putin.

Reclaim Chicago, which has endorsed Biss for governor, is a grassroots progressive organization formed in 2014 and supported by the People's Lobby and National Nurses United, according to its website. The group cited his commitment to "closing corporate tax loopholes and making the very rich pay their fair share" as reasons for its endorsement.

“We’re thrilled to share the stage with Pussy Riot, our comrades in fighting the powers-that-be whose only interest is increasing their own power and wealth,” said Reclaim Chicago's Joe Padilla in a release. “They’re challenging a repressive regime, and we’re organizing to reclaim government from the corporations and the super-rich that buy elections and rig the laws in their favor."

According to a spokesperson for the group, Pussy Riot contacted Reclaim Chicago about sharing the stage because their activism focuses on fighting a corporate plutocracy.

Reclaim introduced the Russian group to the Biss campaign because of a shared interest in "reclaiming government from the very rich and corporate interests," said Kristi Sanford of Reclaim Chicago. She said Biss and the local activists would take the stage around 9:30 p.m., ahead of Pussy Riot's set beginning at about 10 p.m.

Although Biss does come from a family of accomplished musicians – his parents are violinists and his brother a pianist – he will not be performing during Tuesdays show, WMAQ-TV reported.

Pussy Riot and the Biss campaign have not responded to queries about the event.

we're going to rally in a couple of cities pic.twitter.com/ZF8115zelB
— Pussy Riot (@pussyrrriot) March 1, 2018