An incident on the Australian version of television programme Big Brother has prompted the Mexican government to protest to Australia for "the offensive use of the Mexican national flag in a television programme," Mexico's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The alleged offence to the flag and other Mexican symbols took place at a party on the programme in the house inhabited by 56 participants on the Australian edition of the reality show. Mexico has complained that a Mexican-style party included abuse, such as a game played by participants at the party that consisted of throwing water balloons at the Mexican flag. In a quiz, participants were asked from which country Mexico gained independence. The United States was taken as a valid answer, although Mexico actually gained independence from Spain in the early 19th century. Mexican citizens living in Australia sent a letter to the North American country's diplomatic authorities requesting a formal protest. Mexican television channel Televisa, the largest in Mexico, later broadcast the footage. The Foreign Ministry statement said Mexico asked Australian authorities "to prevent those kinds of incidents from being repeated in the future." The protest over what Mexican authorities called an "unfortunate and unpleasant" incident was sent to Chris Chapman, chairman and chief executive of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and to the producers of the programme.
