There was only one dignitary at the 9/11 ceremony who didn’t place a hand on her heart during “The Star-Spangled Banner” — and it was the same person who once refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

It was Melissa Mark-Viverito, speaker of the City Council.

A photo of the anniversary event shows a line of officials, including Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and former Mayors Mike Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani, honoring the anthem by putting their hands over their hearts.

Cuomo’s girlfriend, Sandra Lee, has both hands over her heart.

But Mark-Viverito stands with her hands clasped in front of her.

Bronx state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. called it an insult.

“She doesn’t care about America. She’s a communist from Puerto Rico,” said Diaz, a minister who, like Mark-Viverito, is of Puerto Rican descent.

“She goes on sacred ground and disrespects America that way. It’s disrespectful to the heroes, the fallen who died on 9/11, it’s disrespectful to the victims and families of 9/11.”

This isn’t the first time questions have been raised about Mark-Viverito’s patriotism.

Before she ran for speaker, she didn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at ceremonies.

An aide claimed it was the tradition in Puerto Rico. But a colleague said Mark-Viverito had told her a different story.

“When I met with her months ago, I asked her why she didn’t pledge to the flag. She told me she wanted Puerto Rico to be independent,” Queens Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz told Crain’s last year.

Mark-Viverito has since been standing during the pledge.

Eric Koch, Mark-Viverito’s spokesman, wouldn’t comment on her stance at Thursday’s Ground Zero ceremony but noted she gave a patriotic speech on Staten Island soon after.

“It’s tremendously sad that some would use the 9/11 ceremony — a time when New Yorkers come together — to try and score cheap political points,” Koch said.

“At the Staten Island ceremony, Melissa honored the first responders who sacrificed so much that day, our troops who have gone abroad to protect us and offered comfort and prayers to the families who lost loved ones.”



Additional reporting by Carl Campanile