And, yes, this has to do with immigrants in France.Before the game, singer Nina Tonji performed La Marseillaise at the Stade de France.Although she received a warm round of applause afterward, there has been significant online backlash because she modified the lyrics of the song.NFL OVERCOMES CIVIL UNREST, TRUMP CONCERNS AND CALLS TO POSTPONE AS STEELERS AND SAINTS KICK OFF IN PARISTonji changed "Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons!" to "Qu'un sang uni abreuve nos sillons!," and that was clearly done on purpose because it has political and societal ramifications."Qu’un sang impur abreuve nos sillons" means "May impure blood water our furrows/fields." In the revolutionary context of La Marseillaise, "impure blood" referred to enemies and traitors – particularly French immigrants fighting alongside foreign armies.Replacing impur ("impure") with uni ("united") changes the meaning of the passage from from a call for enemy blood to nourish France’s soil into an appeal for national unity and solidarity that includes immigrants to nourish France's soil.Pittsburgh Steelers players run onto the field before an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on Sunday, Oct.
25, 2026.(AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)Tonji thus changed the song's tone from violent exclusion of a foreign enemy to a message of unity with foreigners.She gave immigrants cover that La Marseillaise did not in 1792 when it was written during the French Revolution.And, yes, this rendition represented a lyrical alteration by the Tonji that departed from the traditional wording of the French national anthem.
But it comes at a time when people in France are on edge about immigration and foreigners.The Soul Rebels perform the US national anthem before an NFL football game between Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Sunday, Oct.25, 2026.
(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)That’s because at least some of the protesters who took to the streets during t...