National anthem controversies around the world

In March 2018, Germany's equal opportunity commissioner called for the national anthem's lyrics to be made gender-neutral: "Fatherland" could change to "homeland" ("Heimatland") and "brotherly with heart and hand" to "courageously with heart and hand." Even Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in on the controversy that erupted, stating that she was satisfied with the current lyrics.

Germany's national anthem has a controversial history. The three-stanza text was penned by poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841 at a time when German principalities were struggling to unite into a single nation. Hence, the controversial first line, "Germany, Germany above all." The verse was particularly favored by the Nazis. In 1991, the third stanza alone was made official.

National anthems are musical expressions of national pride intended to arouse feelings of patriotism. They are also a relatively new phenomenon, with many of them — like Germany's "Deutschlandlied" — linked to the development of the nation state in the 19th century. Some older tunes were only made official in the 20th century. Anthems are often played at sporting games and official events.

Austria changed its national anthem lyrics in 2012 to make it more gender inclusive. It replaced the word "sons" with "sons and daughters," and a line in the third stanza, reading "Unified in brotherly choirs," was changed to refer to "jolly choirs." However, in the south Austrian region of Carinthia, which has a Slovenian-speaking minority, the Slovenian official text remains unchanged.

In 2016 a Canadian MP proposed to change one line in the country's English-language anthem, to replace "True patriot love in all thy sons command" with "True patriot love in all of us command." The suggestion polarized political sentiment, with some, like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, heralding it as a step towards gender equality, and others blasting the change. The bill passed in February 2018.

The New Zealand anthem exists in two languages, English and Te Reo, the Maori language. Their texts are not identical but are meant to convey similar meaning. For instance, whereas the English refers to "men of every creed and race," the Maori text has "let all people." In this case, that's because Maori pronouns are gender-neutral. The New Zealand flag has been more controversial than the anthem.

In 2016 the American national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner," became the musical backdrop for protests against police brutality towards African Americans. Professional football player Colin Kaepernic (above right) was the first to "take a knee" during its performance, unleashing a national debate on patriotism and respect. The anthem itself has been criticized for militarism and racism.

The UK's anthem doesn't actually have fixed text, since it depends on whether the ruling monarch is a queen or a king. Currently, with Queen Elizabeth II on the throne, the song includes lines like "scatter her enemies." There is also no single definitive version, though the standard one is criticized for its militarism. An official peace version written after WWI has been largely forgotten.

Spain is one of the few countries whose national anthem is instrumental. When singer Marta Sanchez (above) sang personal lyrics in a performance in early 2018, some praised her, but others disapproved. The anthem has been sung with words at various times, such as under dictator Francisco Franco, but these were never made official. A bid to add lyrics failed in 2008 after cries of authoritarianism.