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In a move which has triggered scorn from the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Germeny’s equality commissioner Kristin Rose-Möhring proposed removing the word 'Fatherland' from the lyrics, as well as the word ‘brotherly’.

The German national anthem, Song for Germany,features the word ‘vaterland’, in its first and last lines – but if Ms Rose-Möhring’s suggestion gets the thumbs up, this would be replaced with ‘heimatland’, meaning ‘homeland’.

In addition, ‘brotherly’ would be replaced with ‘courageously’.

Ms Rose-Möhring made her suggestion in a letter to staff at Germany’s Ministry for Family Affairs ahead of International Women’s Day on Thursday.

She wrote: “Why don't we make our national anthem gender sensitive? It wouldn't hurt, would it?”

Germany’s neighbour Austria and also Canada have removed gender-specific phrases from their national anthems in recent years, with the latter changing the words 'in all thy sons' command' to 'in all of us command'.

But Ms Rose-Möhring’s idea cut no ice with the AfD, with supporters taking to Twitter to voice their opposition to the controversial proposal.

A branch of the AfD in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg said: “Completely over the top, and not even an April Fool's joke”, while another wrote: “If that happens, I want to change (the phrase)‘mother tongue’ too.”

spokesman for the Thuringia state branch of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) tweeted: "When women with double last names want to misappropriate a masterpiece like the national anthem, hopefully I'm not the only one getting angry."

In a post on its Facebook page, the AfD added: “The national anthem is protected as a state symbol in particular from defamation and it will remain so.”

If adopted, it would not be the first time the lyrics of Germany’s national anthem, written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben to fit a melody written by Joseph Haydn in 1997, will have been changed.

The nation removed the first stanza, which declared ‘Deutschland Uber Alles’, or ‘Germany above all else’ shortly after reunification in 1991 because of its close associations with Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.

Prior to this, it had been used by West Germany, while East Germany used the song Risen From Ruins.

Ms Rose-Möhring has been in her current job since 2001. In 2012 she successfully sued her own ministry after three top ministry posts were given to male candidates without consulting her.

Her proposal came to light shortly before Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) announced members had ratified a new coalition deal with Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and its allies.

Via:express.co.uk