An Australian production company has apologized to Mexico for a segment of a "Big Brother" reality program that showed people throwing water balloons at the Mexican flag.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department on Wednesday sent protest letters to the program and the Australian government, saying the country's flag had been desecrated on the show that aired June 15.
"I apologize on behalf of the producers of ‘Big Brother’ for any offense suffered and assure you this will never happen again," wrote Kris Noble, the managing director of entertainment company Endemol Southern Star, in a letter Thursday to the Mexican Embassy in Australia.
"The segment was intended as a lighthearted tribute to Mexico and its vibrant cultural heritage, which we all admire and enjoy," the letter stated.
Mexico's protest letters said that the country's flag "has a long and proud history and it stands as a powerful symbol that identifies and unites Mexican citizens wherever they live.
Australia's government regulator of television broadcasters, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, was "considering a response", the agency's media manager, Donald Robertson, said Friday.
Mexico's Televisa network repeatedly aired segments of the show, in which participants wearing oversized Mexican sombreros and droopy false mustaches hurled balloons at a Mexican flag.
In one segment, contestants were asked to name the country from which Mexico won its independence. The contestant who answered the United States was told that was the right answer. Mexico gained independence from Spain.
Sydney-based Southern Star produces Big Brother under a joint venture with the Netherlands-based entertainment company Endemol NV.