Major League Baseball’s 87th All-Star Game took an unexpected turn yesterday (July 12) when a Canadian singing group slipped an “All Lives Matter” shoutout into its pregame performance in San Diego, California.
The Associated Press/NBC News reports that the group, The Tenors, was singing “O Canada” when one of the members held up a sign with the message, which is often deployed to trivialize the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement. He also changed the lyrics of the song from “With glowing hearts we see thee rise. The True North strong and free,” to “We’re all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great.”
Video: Canadian quartet @TenorsMusic change O Canada lyrics at @MLB @AllStarGame in support of All Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/dm1XOPne4S
— Bill Cooney (@BillCooney) July 13, 2016
Their performance of the Canadian anthem didn’t air live on television in the United States, but Canadian viewers saw it and reacted on social media, prompting a statement from the group. In it, three members—Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters and Victor Micallef—apologized for the actions of Remigio Pereira, saying he was acting on his own in his “shameful” display and that he will not be performing with the group “until further notice.”
— The Tenors (@TenorsMusic) July 13, 2016