The prostests around the conviction of Russian punk band Pussy Riot are getting intense, and to top off all the craziness and nudity, Russian chess master and democracy activist Garry Kasparov has been arrested.

The protests, which brought people out in force across Europe, have their own special brand of colorful mayhem: A topless Ukrainian protester chainsawed down a cros in Kiev (left), protesters in Sofia, Bulgaria, slapped face-covering balaclavas (like the ones the band wore during the "Punk Prayer" that got them arrested in the first place) over soviet-era monuments. Outside the Russian embassy in London, protesters wearing balaclavas and condemning both the Pussy Riot verdict and the Russian support for the Syrian government started throwing rocks, and Russia is accusing the United Kingdom of not doing anything to stop them.

And of course in Moscow, Kasparov got swept up in the mayhem outside the courtroom, which he said he was only there to observe, not to join. The editors of Kasparov's Facebook page wrote that "He was not there to protest, simply to attend, and the police cornered him and dragged him into the police van." They posted a photo of Kasparov in the police van, while The New York Times confirmed through its own photo, that he'd been arrested. The editors wrote in an update: "He is at the police station. He was beaten but says he is okay. He isn't sure what will happen next. It seems the police are waiting for orders from above."

This video of the scene outside the courthouse shows an indignant but not unruly crowd:

As for Kasparov, there's been no update on his situation, but we'll keep you posted.

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Adam Martin