MTV Mexico pulls South Park episode at last minute
MTV Mexico pulls South Park episode at last minute
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Wednesday, 10, Feb 2010 02:25
By Alex Steger.
An episode of the controversial US cartoon South Park was not broadcast in Mexico after a last minute decision by MTV.
The decision to pull the episode entitled Pinewood Derby has caused controversy and derision in the north American nation.
MTV Mexico has said that the decision not to show the episode, which features a Mexican leader, resembling real-life Mexican president Felipe Calderon, who wastes funds and irritates the international community, was based on their failure to get special a permit to show the Mexican flag.
The flag appears briefly in a scene with the president.
When the episode was first broadcast in the US it attracted widespread interest south of the border. MTV Mexico had extensively publicised the Spanish language version of the episode.
It was due to be shown at 22:00 local time on February 8th but viewers instead could only see another episode of the series at this time.
MTV Mexico insisted that the episode would be shown as soon as the necessary permit to show the flag was gained.
They also defended the decision to pull the episode completely rather than alter the image of the flag.
Erick Zermeno, a spokesperson for MTV Mexico, said "We decided not to alter the image because the reaction would have been worse."
Mexico has strict rules on the use of the national flag and broadcasting its image. In 2008, Mexican pop singer Paulina Rubio was fined for posing nude in Spanish Cosmopolitan with just the flag covering her modesty.