Miley Cyrus could be sanctioned for Mexican flag spanking: 'It's a lack of respect'

A Mexican state legislature has called for the nation’s government to fine the singer

Miley Cyrus is trying to prove her musical credentials (Getty Images)

Miley Cyrus is in trouble in Mexico, after “desecrating” its flag during a performance in Monterrey.

A Mexican state legislature has called for the singer to be fined, after one of her dancers spanked her (prosthetic) backside using the Mexican flag, while she was on stage in the northern state of Nuevo León on Mexican Independence Day.

This didn't go down well and local lawmaker Francisco Trevino said the Nuevo León state legislature has approved a warrant for the interior ministry to enforce the law. Cyrus could be detained for 36 hours or be fined for around $1,200.

“They are hitting her with the flag, or cleaning her backside. It's a lack of respect,” said Trevino. “The interior ministry must sanction the singer Miley Cyrus for desecrating the flag.”

Mexican officials are known for being sensitive about showing respect for national symbols; in 2008, singer Paulina Rubio was fined $4,000 for posing nude on a magazine, wearing only the Mexican flag.

This isn’t the first time Cyrus has had fallen foul of flag protocol – in June, she attracted criticism after waving the wrong flag at a concert in Spain.

The Bangerz singer was playing in Barcelona, the capital of independence-seeking Catalonia, when she flew the flag of a different would-be independent nation – the Basque Country.

The red, green and white ikurriña flag is the symbol of the Basque Country and is seldom seen in Barcelona – until Cyrus arrived.