Madonna tour protested in Russia
Sep. 4, 2006 at 6:11PM

Hundreds of Orthodox Christians protested Madonna's upcoming Moscow concert and urged its cancelation because of a mock-crucifixion she performs on stage. The Michigan-born British resident has outraged religious groups across Europe by singing "Live to Tell" while hanging from a mirrored cross with a crown of thorns on her head. Her "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour rolls into Moscow's Luzhniki stadium Sept. 12. Russian Orthodox and Muslim leaders have urged their followers to boycott the show but an estimated 40,000 of the 70,000 available tickets have already been sold. The protesters in central Moscow carried signs saying "God Save Russia" and "With Belief in God, Freedom or Death!," RIA Novosti reported. Christian Revival Union leader Vladimir Osipov called the performer an "American Satanist" and the "anti-Madonna," because her image was the complete opposite of the Virgin Mary's. "I would like to see her abusing the religion of international bankers -- she would have immediately been cornered and sent back to the streets," he said.