BBC Considers Scrapping Patriotic Songs from Proms Over Black Lives Matter Pressure
'Rule, Britannia' & 'Land of Hope and Glory' face the chop amid BLM protests
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Patriotic British anthems "Rule, Britannia" and "Land of Hope and Glory" may be scrapped from the BBC Proms following pressure from the far-left Black Lives Matter movement, an insider has revealed.
The "unbiased" state-funded broadcaster is considering dropping the classic songs from the Last Night concert due to complaints of their apparent links to colonialism and slavery, the Times reported.
Flag-waving crowds will be absent from London's Royal Albert Hall during the 125th annual Last Night of the Proms concert on September 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The traditional patriotic anthems are usually belted out by a packed-out audience of flag-waving Brits.
The Last Night's conductor, Dalia Stasevska, is said to believe "a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change."
"Dalia is a big supporter of Black Lives Matter," a source added.
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Rule, Britannia is usually performed by about 80 members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a chorus of more than 100 singers, according to The Sun.
But due to social distancing guidelines, the orchestra will be cut by half with only 18 singers expected to perform - and no audience singalong.
It is understood the rules could be used to help phase out the anthems.
Jan Younghusband, head of BBC music TV commissioning, confirmed the music content for the night is still being reviewed.
She added: “We have a lot of problems about how many instruments we can have.
"It is hard to know whether it is physically possible to do it.
"Some of the traditional tunes, like Jerusalem, are easier to perform...
"We also don’t know if we’ll be in a worse situation in two weeks’ time.”
The 125th annual Last Night of the Proms concert is due to go ahead - with one insider describing this year's event as the “Black Lives Matter Proms.”
Live performances are being done by a host of talented BAME composers and instrumentalists - including a cellist from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.
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Wasfi Kani, chief executive of Grange Park Opera in Surrey, has said she would welcome the removal of the anthems in support of the far-left, Marxist, anti-capitalist, anti-police, anti-Semite organization Black Lives Matter.
The 64-year-old's parents sought refuge in the UK after the partition of India in 1947.
She told the newspaper: "I don’t listen to Land of Hope and Glory and say ‘thank God I’m British’ — it actually makes me feel more alienated.
"Britain raped India and that is what that song is celebrating."
Rule, Britannia was written as a poem by Scottish playwright James Thomson but put to music by Thomas Arne in 1740.
But critics have questioned the line “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves” over the nation's involvement in the slave trade.
They have also balked at Land of Hope of Glory, which praises the empire and was said to have been inspired by Cecil Rhodes.
