La Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle on April 24, 1792. Its original name is Chant de marche de l'Armée du Rhin (Marching song of the Rhine Army). It became the rallying call of the French Revolution and was so-called because it was first sung on the streets by troops from Marseille upon their arrival in Paris. The song was banned in Vichy France and German occupied areas during World War II.
In France itself, the anthem (and particularly the lyrics) has become a controversial issue since the 1970s. Some consider it militaristic and racist, and many propositions have been made to change the anthem or the lyrics. However, La Marseillaise has been associated throughout its history with republican sympathies, and singing it was an act of resistance during World War II. Thus, no change is likely to occur.
Recently, and despite the lyrics, it was largely sung by anti-racist protesters after the accession of Jean-Marie Le Pen to the second turn of presidential élection in 2002.
In fiction, the song was part of a famous scene in Casablanca in which French resistance sympathizers tried to sing the song louder than the Nazi soldiers who were singing "Die Wacht am Rhein[?]".
La Marseillaise is also the name of a relief sculpture group on the Arc de Triomphe, also known as The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, by Francois Rude.
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