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To slit the throats of our sons, our wives The song was officially embraced as France's national anthem three years later, then dropped by Napoleon and his heirs for its reference to "deadly tyrants." It was finally enshrined in the constitution in 1879. He titled the song "War Hymn of the Army of the Rhine," but it acquired its popular name in 1792 when soldiers from Marseille sang it while marching into Paris. The world-renowned anthem was composed 200 years ago by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a 32-year-old army captain whose garrison at Strasbourg was under siege by Prussian forces. He said it would be as unthinkable to change the words of "La Marseillaise" just because of its blood-and-violence motif as "to change the colors of the national flag because part of it is red." In the other political camp, Gaullist leader Jacques Chirac is opposed in principle to tampering with such a sacred part of the national patrimony. Why should we renounce one's past? For me, 'The Marseillaise' is and must remain the song of liberty and the rights of man."Ĭommunist leader Georges Marchais also defends the anthem because it has "acquired a symbolic and ideological dimension that goes beyond national borders," having been adopted by Latin American guerrillas, Spanish republicans and Vietnamese revolutionaries. "But they are about defending the country, not about attacking anyone. "It's true the words are warlike," said Defense Minister Pierre Joxe, of the ruling Socialist Party. Polls show that while 40 percent of the public think the lyrics are too bloodthirsty, 75 percent are staunchly opposed to altering the verses. By law, any changes would then have to be approved by parliament, and possibly put before the public in a referendum.īut traditionalists from both sides of the political spectrum have rallied in support of the original lyrics, buttressed by a strong public majority that dislikes the idea of tampering with the national anthem regardless of its contents. until our songs silence all cannon." Ferauge said Thuair's version would allow France to show "comfort for suffering nations and play a symbolic role of peace, freedom and brotherhood around the world."įather Pierre has been inundated by more than 200 alternative texts and has proposed holding an open competition in which a distinguished jury would choose the new version.
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Thuair has proposed alternative lyrics urging citizens "to march hand in hand.
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Citing research by Armand Thuair, a retired fireman, Ferauge said that among 175 known anthems linked to nations around the world, France is the only country that has "adopted and preserved such a belligerent song." Charles Ferauge in a letter to the conservative daily Le Figaro. "How can one call out 'To Arms' in an Olympic stadium?" asked Gen. The call to arms in defense of France's "blood-drenched flag" as sung by an innocent young girl - in a ceremony inaugurating an event symbolizing peace and harmony among the world's youth - outraged many television viewers and stoked the arguments of "Marseillaise" revisionists. Their campaign gathered momentum last February during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Albertville, when an 11-year-old girl named Severine Dupelloux released a white dove into the air and then sang the anthem with its bellicose lyrics. The xenophobic message contained in the hallowed national hymn has begun to disturb a lot of people who believe France should stress its historical defense of human rights and not help fuel the anti-immigrant agendas of groups such as the extreme right-wing National Front.įor the past three years, a dedicated defender of the homeless known as Father Pierre has waged an ardent crusade to transform the old soldiers' chant from "words of hate into a message of love."įrance's first lady, Danielle Mitterrand, says she loathes "the very warlike words that can shock pacific souls like me." Along with more than a hundred other influential personalities, she has endorsed the search for a less cutthroat version of "La Marseillaise." PARIS, JULY 13 - As France prepares to celebrate its national holiday Tuesday with stirring renditions of "La Marseillaise," the country's famed national anthem is coming under attack during its bicentennial because the bloodthirsty lyrics appall those citizens who want to emphasize themes of peace and brotherhood.Īt the climax of the annual Bastille Day parade by French armed forces down the Champs-Elysees, a 400-man choir Tuesday again will exhort President Francois Mitterrand and thousands of other citizens in attendance to "drench our fields with the impure blood" of the "ferocious foreign invaders who have come.