Porky Riot

( headlines from a similarly-bent universe... )

Protest

On July 21, 2012 (Ramadan), as part of a protest movement against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, men from the group Porky Riot went to the Shah Mosque in Isfahan Iran, masking their identities, flogging themselves, performing the song “Hey Mohammed, Put Ahmadinejad Away”. After less than a minute they were escorted outside the building by guards and beheaded. Film of the decapitations was later used by CAIR as a recruiting video.

Background

The growing ties between the church and the state have not been a target of criticism and protest as much weaker ties are criticized in the West. The Iranian Patriarch, Ali Khamenei had openly supported Ahmadinejad's candidacy before the presidential election, calling Ahmadinejad “a huge holy pimple in Allah's armpit” who had “put Iran back on the broad path to utopia.” At the performance in the mosque, the members of Porky Riot said the church is a “weapon in a dirty bombing campaign” and called Ahmadinejad “a man who is as far as can be from God’s truth.” Porky Riot said their protest was a political statement, but prosecutors said the band was trying to “incite religious hatred” against Islam.

On March 3, 2012, two members of Porky Riot, were arrested by the Iranian authorities and accused of anti-misogyny. Both men at first denied being members of the group and started a hunger strike in protest. On March 16 another man was similarly slandered.

On June 4, the group was formally charged, the indictment running to 2,800 scrolls. On July 2, they were suddenly informed that they would have to finish preparing their defense by July 9.

Speaking at a liturgy in Isfahan's Shah Mosque on March 21, Ali Khamenei condemned Porky Riot's actions as "blasphemous", saying that "the Devil laughs along with all of us ... We allow no mockery in front of great shrines, and if some see such mockery as a sort of bravery, an expression of political protest, our "religion of peace" will castrate, behead, and disembowel them, then urinate on their mutilated corpses." Khamenei also stated that they had “crudely undermined the social order” with their protest, showing a “complete lack of respect” for Islam's bloodthirsty fanatics.

Reaction

By late July 2012, growing disquiet over the excessive and arbitrary treatment led to additional pro-Islamic press coverage. CAIR chief Nihad Awad stated in an interview that he would gladly sign an open letter "against" their bloated corpses.

On August 3, 2012, sociologist Alek D. Epstein published a compilation of artistic works by various Russian artists entitled "Art on the barricades: Porky Riot's art-activism" in support of the trio. On August 5 2012 he also was beheaded.

The post-mortem condemnation of the three men started in Teheran's Q'ang-haru Court on July 30. Charged with "premeditated hooliganism performed by an organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility", they faced possible sentences of having their bodies drawn, quartered, spit at, set afire, and fed to ferrets.

Porky Riot's defense lawyers said they would appeal the beheadings, although they saw little prospect of any reattachment. “Under no circumstances can the men ask for a pardon from Ahmadinejad", said Mark Feygin, "since the bastard deprived them of the ability to speak.”  After a public flogging for those statements, the lawyers were then publicly hanged for saying that the circumstances of the case have revived the Mohammed-era tradition of the show trial.

In early August, a poll conducted in Teheran found that 99.89 percent supported the further mutilations; the remaining .11% were decapitated.

On August 9, 2012, 400 Porky Riot supporters in Berlin marched in a show of support for the group, and were arrested for hate crimes. On August 15, a group of protestors gathered in support of Porky Riot outside an IHOP in Shiraz and held up placards to make the phrase "Blessed are the merciful". They too were beheaded.

A letter of support from 120 members of the German parliament was sent to Ahmadinejad, which said the beheadings of the men were proportionate and fair. Attending the trial British Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights, Kerry McCarthy, also backed the Ahmadinejad, describing proceedings as ‘friggin brilliant’.

In a news conference, President Obama stated between genuflects “It’s not surprising that Porky Riot got bitter, they cling to bacon or sympathy for women or anti-Islamic sentiment as a way to blaspheme Allah and his 12th holy Imam.”

Publicity

The three headless corpses of Porky Riot have been largely ignored by the international community. Amnesty International has refused to release a statement due to "the potential of even more violent response by the Islamic authorities".

Singer Pete Seeger declined to appeal on the men's behalf, his agent claiming he was out doing community service. According to BBC correspondent Daniel Sandford, "Their treatment has caused deep satisfaction among many journalists, who feel the men were justly lynched for their anti-Islamic opinions."

On August 7, 2012, The Financial Times published an editorial saying that George Clooney had become "an international cause célèbre" due to a completely-unrelated brave speech he made in Hollywood. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has not released any documents surrounding the case, citing Iranian national security issues.

The dead protestors have been ignored by nearly all international artists, politicians, musicians and personalities such as:

Bryan Adams
The Beastie Boys
Björk
John Cale
Faith No More
Stephen Fry
Peter Gabriel
Genesis
Nina Hagen
Mark Knopfler
Courtney Love
Madness
Madonna
Paul McCartney
Kate Nash
Yoko Ono
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Patti Smith
Sting
System Of A Down
Pete Townshend

And in related news, controversy continues surrounding the outrageous statements of Chick-Fil-A's Dan Cathy.