Was this a blatant act of defiance by the popstrel?

It was also an act of defiance.

Which is why her courageous act of defiance deserves just as much attention and admiration as Bellingham's.

To me it felt like a last gasp of normality, an act of defiance in the face of the impending trial.

It involves a more or less open act of defiance against any claim by the current regime.