Tenors Suspend Member for Singing ‘All Lives Matter’ During All-Star Game’s ‘O Canada’

A Canadian quartet-turned-trio suspended a member of their singing group after he changed the lyrics of the Canadian national anthem during the All-Star Game.

Remigo Pereira inserted the words “all lives matter” into “O Canada” and held up a sign saying the same thing with “United We Stand” on the flipside during the performance. The performance aired live in Canada but did not make the Fox broadcast.

The Tenors issued a statement describing their suspended member’s “shameful” and “misguided” act. The group called the singer a “lone wolf” in his actions.

The group’s harsh response comes in the wake of a harsh response to the “all lives matter” message, which some call bigoted.

An article in USA Today in response to the All-Star Game improvisation maintained that “‘all lives matter’ can actually be interpreted as racist.” A column in Canada’s Globe and Mail national newspaper similarly panned the act. “Let’s be clear, ‘all lives matter’ is a false claim that can only be made if you actively choose to ignore that anti-black racism has and continues to exist in the United States of America,” an article on the controversy read.

The suspended singer issued in the aftermath of the controversy an airy “peace” and “love” and “harmony” message, which suggests that the nuances of the whole “black lives matter”/”all lives matter” may have got lost in translation from Newspeak to English across the border.

“I’ve been so moved lately by the tragic loss of life and I hoped for a positive statement that would bring us ALL together,” Pereira wrote on Facebook. “ONE LOVE. That was my singular motivation when I said all lives matter. I am disturbed that people would attribute anything other than the purist of intentions to my actions. I weep for the senseless loss of life, the lives of all my brothers and sisters in this world.

“I speak for the human race and the lives of all sentient beings. Love, peace and harmony for ALL has always been my life’s purpose. I say this from the bottom and all corners of my heart, be good to one another, love one another. Let us all live in peace, it is everyone’s birthright. Once we awaken the love within, we will never be without.”