Controversy struck the MLB All-Star Game Wednesday night during the singing of the national anthem of Canada, "O Canada," when a member of the vocal quartet The Tenors changed the lyrics of the song to include the phrase "All Lives Matter."
During his solo, Remigo Pereira, a co-founder of the musical group, held up a sign reading "All Lives Matter" and singing "We're all brothers and sisters, all lives matter to the great." The proper lyrics are "With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
the True North strong and free," but Pereira apparently saw fit to make the impromptu change rather than stick to the script.
The incident came at a divisive moment in American race politics, with the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas fresh on the minds of all watching the game. Social media quickly took the group to task for Pereira's untimely actions:
The Tenors have since released a statement regarding the incident, calling Pereira's alteration of the anthem "disrespectful," clarifying that the other members had no knowledge of his plans and that Pereira has been banned from the group indefinitely:
While all lives do matter, altering your country's national anthem to bring up a sensitive topic doesn't seem prudent. Check out the incident below: