COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 28, 2015 (UPI) — Enrique Iglesias has angered Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena after a performance in Colombo caused female fans in the audience to throw their bras onstage.
The concert was part of the singer’s “Love and Sex” tour. During the show, concert goers rushed the stage in an attempt to kiss Iglesias.
“This is most uncivilized behavior that goes against our culture,” Sirisena told a public meeting according to the BBC. “I don’t advocate that these uncivilized women who removed their brassieres should be beaten with toxic stingray tails, but those who organized such an event should be,” he continued referencing a severe punishment used in the country during medieval times.
Entertainment company Live Events issued a statement Monday apologizing for other issues that surrounded the concert without mentioning Sirisena’s remarks.
“Whilst we have received many messages of appreciation for the performance of Enrique Iglesias, who provided over 90 minutes of spectacular entertainment, we are also aware and saddened by the fact that many people were terribly inconvenienced by some significant shortcomings that negatively impacted their overall concert experience,” the company stated before apologizing for long wait times and a major security failure to protect the VIP and Platinum areas.
Iglesias himself shared a video from the concert on Instagram writing, “#SriLanka you were unbelievable tonight. You’ve given me a million reason to come back. I loved #Colombo. The video speaks for itself.”
