- Alberto Najar
- BBC Mundo, Mexico City
image source, Reuters
Miley Cyrus opened the memory of other controversies with artists in Mexico
Many in Mexico have been upset by the way in which the American singer Miley Cyrus took out the national flag at a concert on Tuesday, and that prompted an investigation by the authorities. But it is certainly not the first controversy involving an artist in the country.
The rock band U2, the singers Madonna and Marilyn Manson as well as television presenters such as Cristina Saralegui or Laura Bozzo have caused controversy at different times.
Other Mexican artists have also starred in scandals, and some have even occupied the first criticism sites on social networks such as Twitter.
strict rule
The current controversy with Miley Cyrus began on Tuesday. In the first concert of her tour of Mexico, held in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, the American singer allowed one of her dancers to hit her false behind with the flag.
The Ministry of the Interior initiated an investigation because the show could have violated article 56 of the Law on the National Coat of Arms, Flag and Anthem.
This is legislation that establishes strict rules on the way in which national symbols are used, such as the flag, which in almost all cases is regulated by the Government.
According to the law, people who use this symbol are obliged to respect it, as well as to be careful «in its handling and neatness».
Those who do not comply with these provisions may be subject to sanctions, depending on the severity of the case. The legislation establishes a fine of between US$1,200 and US$5,100, or imprisonment for 36 hours.
The Cyrus scandal is reminiscent of other controversies involving famous artists in Mexico in recent years. BBC Mundo presents some of the most notorious cases.
U2: presidential clash
In December 1997, the Irish rock band U2 performed again in Mexico after a concert they had had years before. This new show was attended by the children of then President Ernesto Zedillo accompanied by his bodyguard.
image source, BBC World Service
Bono and U2 did not perform in Mexico for almost a decade
Almost at the end of the concert and for security reasons, the guards –soldiers from the Presidential General Staff- took the young people out from behind the stage.
But the group got into an altercation with the U2 team. Newspaper versions of the time indicate that the military violently beat Jerry Milly, the band’s head of security, who was unable to return to work.
Bono, the group’s lead singer, was so angry that he only agreed to conclude the agreed performances after speaking with President Zedillo.
But for eight years the group did not appear in Mexico despite frequent invitations from businessmen and groups of fans.
The problem seemed to end in February 2006, when U2 returned to Mexican stages. Bono, and other members of the band, claimed at the time that they had never bothered with the country.
Madonna terror
The first time she performed in Mexico, in November 1993, Madonna sparked an intense debate that even reached the Chamber of Deputies.
image source, BBC World Service
Madonna causing controversy on her first visit to Mexico
Her book Sex, where she appears naked and with texts with a high sexual content, had been published a year earlier. The image on the pages was the same as her concert, which worried conservative groups in the country.
In a letter sent to then-president Carlos Salinas, the protesters demanded that the artist’s permission to perform be cancelled.
«Already in other countries due to the apology of vices and deviations, they have decided not to allow the presentation of the show,» they said.
But Madonna offered three concerts in the Mexican capital. She returned to the country 15 years later but this time there were no complaints.
The Exorcism of Marilyn Manson
In November 2003, some believed that hell would fall in the city of Monterrey, in the northeast of the country, and to defend themselves they organized days of prayer and exorcism in public squares.
The reason for the fear was the presentation of Marilyn Manson, whom Catholic and parent organizations called «the Antichrist.»
During the weeks leading up to the concert, the groups prayed, walked through the streets of the city center with examples of the Bible in their hands, threatened to prevent the rock singer from getting off his plane, and even prepared several liters of holy water to throw. in case of emergency.
It was useless. Manson offered his concert without problems, and since then he has returned to the country several times without causing fear.
Cristina Saralegui and Laura Bozo
Another personality from the show that caused a stir in Mexico was the Cuban-American presenter Cristina Saralegui, host of an interview program where cases of domestic violence or sexual abuse were presented.
image source, BBC World Service
Women broke televisions when Cristina Saralegui’s program was broadcast for the first time
When the broadcast of the show was announced in 1993 by a local channel in Guadalajara, Jalisco, a group of women linked to the conservative National Action Party (PAN) threw television sets at the television station’s façade.
More recently, last year, the Peruvian Laura Bozzo was involved in a scandal when she took a helicopter of the government of the State of Mexico to travel to the area devastated by Hurricane Manuel in the mountainous region of Guerrero, in the south of the country.
The host was accused on social networks and some media of using public resources to record her program. The controversy reached the level that some, such as the lawyer Alejandro Vázquez Flores, demanded to suspend the naturalization process of the Peruvian.
Vázquez accused the driver of threatening him, but she demanded proof. «I know where it comes from, but I take all this as a joke in very bad taste,» he told local media.