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The lotteried event was moderated by former Shorenstein fellow and CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty, while Tolokonnikova’s husband interpreted for the artists.
When a member of the audience attempted to ask a question after identifying himself as a reporter with The Huffington Post, Dougherty interrupted him, explaining that journalists are not allowed to asked questions at John F. Kennedy Jr. Forums. Half-jokingly, the reporter asked: “Is this Russia?”
The forum was also itself a venue for an act of protest, as Roman J. Torgovitsky, a Russia-born alumnus of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health, violated a ban on entering Harvard property.
Torgovitsky was arrested for disorderly conduct in Sanders Theatre last May when he stepped onto the stage to confront violinist Vladimir T. Spivakov, a supporter of Putin’s policies in Ukraine.
On Monday, his presence and that of allied protesters outside the venue was intended to draw attention to the alleged injustice of the ban. Torgovitsky and supporters argued that the Harvard University Police Department misrepresented what occurred during the Sanders incident and that University administrators have subsequently ignored the issue.
After he stood to speak during the forum, HUPD quickly arrested Torgovitsky for trespassing. He was briefly held at Cambridge Police headquarters. Tolokonnikova and Alekhina arrived at CPD headquarters before Torgovitsky was released and tweeted several messages about his cause.
University spokesperson Jeff Neal wrote in a statement on Monday that the University has alerted the Distaric Attorney's Office that it "does not plan to pursue the further prosecution of criminal charges."
"Our only interest is preventing the disruption of events at Harvard," Neal wrote.
Still, despite the presence of the protesters, the event went on undisrupted.
Many audience members responded positively to Tolokonnikova and Alekhina. Parth C. Thakker ’18, who was in attendance, said the event was “engaging.”
“You don’t usually have two members of a punk rock band on this stage which usually hosts dignitaries…. To have these two young people who do cool things was an offbeat experience itself,” Thakker said.
—Staff Writer Zara Zhang can be contacted at zara.zhang@thecrimson.com.