The choir stopped singing the national anthem after it was deemed a “demonstration” by the Capitol Police

A children’s choir was told by Capitol police to stop singing the national anthem because it was considered a “demonstration,” but police insisted it was a “miscommunication.”

The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir — based in South Carolina — was singing at the U.S. Capitol on May 26 when a female U.S. Capitol police officer ordered a congressional staffer to stop the show, choir director David Rasbach told the Daily signal.

“I was shocked, I was appalled, I was stunned,” the director told the outlet. “I couldn’t believe that happened, that they were going to stop the anthem from all songs.”

Rasbach said the officer called the performance a “demonstration” and said some were offended by the performance – though he doubts that because “her time was swallowed up with us” to hear what others were saying.

Pop-up performances are “not allowed at the Capitol without proper approval,” a spokesman for the Capitol Police Department told DailyMail.com on Saturday. However, they said the outage was “due to a miscommunication.”

“The U.S. Capitol Police was not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this action,” the spokesman said. “We apologize to the choir for this miscommunication that affected their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and their visit to Capitol Hill.”

Rasbach had sought permission from his South Carolina representatives William Timmons and Joe Wilson, as well as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, all of whom provided documentation authorizing the group to perform, the director told the Daily Signal .

Prior to their performance, another staffer had stopped them from singing, but after contacting higher ups to confirm their consent, they were allowed to sing their five planned songs: The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, My Country’ Tis of thee, I bought me a cat, and Divine love, all loves excel.

After his group stopped singing, Rasbach said he approached the officer to ask her, “How do you think this will affect these kids?” Their first visit to their Capitol and then they’re disappointed.”

She reportedly told them that they “sounded nice,” but that they had to go outside if they wanted to continue.

“Children singing the national anthem in their Capitol are not a threat to anyone,” the director told the outlet.

Timmons, Wilson and McCarthy didn’t think so, saying in a statement to the Daily Signal: “We recently learned that South Carolina schoolchildren were disturbed while singing our national anthem at the Capitol.

“These children were welcomed by the Speaker’s Office to joyfully express their love for this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to hear that their celebration was cut short. We are thrilled that the People’s House has reopened especially for our children, and we look forward to welcoming more Americans back to the halls of Congress.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter to criticize the police, writing, “Rushingbrook Children’s Choir sang the national anthem at the Capitol and was stopped by the Capitol police. They were told that “certain Capitol police said it could offend/cause trouble to someone.”

“The national anthem sung by children is not offensive, it is more necessary.”