Liberal online magazine Salon trashed the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ earlier this week, publishing an article that called the national anthem of the United States a “neo-Confederate symbol” of hate and questioning its usage at sporting events.

The article, titled “It’s time to examine the words and the origins of our national anthem, another neo-Confederate Symbol,” questions the history of the anthem, as well as its prevalence at sporting events throughout the nation.

“Confederate war memorials are just the beginning,” writes the author. “What we are seeing is the popular repudiation — and violent defense — of the neo-Confederate ideology that has shaped the symbols of American public life for the last 150 years. Some of these symbols now draw protests, while others are woven into public life.”

“For example, observing Memorial Day and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” are uncontroversial patriotic gestures, yet there is no disputing that neo-Confederates developed these rituals,” the article states.

The debate over Confederate memorials and statues has taken on a new dimension in recent weeks, as left-wing activists and protesters begin calling for the removal of other historical monuments; spreading to the nation’s founders such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.