THE organisers of a Sussex Festival where Russian protest performance group Pussy Riot will headline have supported their pitch invasion of the World Cup final last Sunday.

Members of the anarcho-punk group wearing police uniforms ran on to the pitch as Croatia and France played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, causing a brief suspension of play in the match, which was won by France.

They claimed responsibility on their Facebook page, where they issued a series of demands including that Russia “let all political prisoners free, stop illegal arrests on rallies, allows political competition and does not fabricate criminal accusations”.

The group, which has 12 members and was formed in 2011 to stage protests over feminism, LGBT rights and against Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, achieved worldwide fame in 2012 when three of its members were sentenced to two years each in prison after staging a performance inside a Moscow cathedral.

Next month the collective, led by Nadya Tolokonnikova, top the music bill at the Byline Festival, which is billed as “a riot of independent journalism” with speakers and performers including BBC football pundit Gary Lineker, A Very English Scandal star Hugh Grant and Fawlty Towers actor and writer John Cleese.

Byline’s Stephen Colegrave said: “We support what they did at the World Cup. It was one of the biggest TV audiences ever and it was important they have a non-violent protest, which is the point of the festival.”

The organisers said they are “the perfect band” to be the headline act at the festival at Pippingford Park, Nutley, near Uckfield, over the weekend of August 24-27 when they will present a combination of protest art and music performance.

“We are expecting them to be brilliant, badly behaved and riotous,” the organisers added. “Their strident feminism and anti-Trump and Putin stance is in keeping with the activism and attitude of this unique festival with its tagline Dance, Discuss, Laugh and Change the World.”

There will be no clash between Pussy Riot and Mr Lineker after their World Cup protest, said Mr Colegrave. “It’ll be a nice reunion for Gary and Pussy Riot. They’re both coming to the festival for the same reason. Gary is coming because he supports a better press and agrees with what we are trying to do.”

Pussy Riot, who have been touring the US, are among 120 music acts confirmed to perform at the festival.

The other acts include The Blow Monkeys and The Vapors.