Alexander Pope's question — "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" — is as compelling as ever in the wake of the two-year sentences handed down Friday by a Russian court to three young women convicted of hooliganism.
The three are members of Pussy Riot, a punk rock band and performance art group that staged a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Russia's main Orthodox cathedral. The over-reaction to this stunt — and that is all it was — demonstrates not strength but fear. It is ironic that Mr. Putin, for all his macho posturing, appears intimidated by childish pranks.
Pussy Riot is a collective of 10 women, backed by 15 technical assistants, who make impromptu performances, in brightly colored dresses and balaclavas, at unusual locations.