|
 Singer Remigio Pereira, a member of the Canadian quartet The
Tenors, seemed to take his group by surprise with the change
during the live performance at major league baseball's All-Star
Game in San Diego on Tuesday night.
"Why would you make a political statement with our anthem?" said
Twitter user @I_AM_MurrMan. "I hope you get kicked out of your
band."
"All lives matter" is a phrase used by critics of the Black
Lives Matter anti-police brutality movement, who say the
activists promote bias against other groups including white
Americans and law enforcement.
Pereira inserted the line "we're all brothers and sisters; all
lives matter to the great" while holding up a small sign that
read "all lives matter" on one side and "united we stand" on the
other.
"Memo to MLB: if you're looking to attract black fans and
players, All Lives Mattering the anthem -- even O Canada --
ain't the way to do it," tweeted @MorganPCampbell.
The Tenors apologized late on Tuesday, calling Pereira a "lone
wolf" who acted without consulting the group and said he would
no longer perform with them "until further notice".
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Pereira showed no contrition, saying on Twitter: "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. ONE LOVE."
Tensions are high in the United States after protests over police
shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and a sniper
attack on Dallas police by a black former U.S. soldier who said he
wanted to "kill white people."
The attack injected a new note of fear into two years of largely
peaceful protests across the United States over police killings of
black people in cities including Ferguson, Missouri, Chicago and Los
Angeles.
Pereira did not immediately respond when Reuters reached out to him
on Twitter. A publicist for The Tenors said on Wednesday no members
are doing interviews and referred to the statement .
(Reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto; Editing by Andrew Hay)
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