England’s Maro Itoje has revealed that he will no longer sing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ because of the song’s origins in American slavery.
The song - originally written in the 1860s - regularly rings out during England games at Twickenham.
It was recently the subject of a review by the Rugby Football Union in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
While choosing not to ban the song, the RFU produced a video explaining its historical context and withdrew its use from marketing and merchandising.
England's Maro Itoje on Swing Low, Sweet Chariot:
'I sang it before when I was naive and didn’t know its origins but, now knowing the context in [its] creation, it’s not an anthem that I’m going to repeat any more' https://t.co/CH5CBzGcSZ
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) May 26, 2022
"I’m not going to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do but, personally, I won’t sing this song again," Itoje told L’Equipe.
“I sang it before when I was naive and didn’t know its origins.
"Now knowing the context in the creation of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, it’s not an anthem that I’m going to repeat any more.”
