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(Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive RABAT, MOROCCO - FEBRUARY 25: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk through the walled public Andalusian Gardens which has exotic plants, flowers and fruit trees during a visit on February 25, 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga - Pool/Getty Images) (CNN Business) — BBC radio broadcaster Danny Baker has been fired after posting a racist tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new baby. On Wednesday, the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter tweeted a black and white photo of a man and woman holding hands with a chimpanzee in a suit and a top hat, with the caption, “Royal baby leaves hospital.” Amid widespread accusations of racism, Baker deleted the tweet and said he was sorry the “gag” had “whipped some up.” He claimed the connotations had not occurred to him because his “mind (is) not diseased.” In a second message, Baker said that the tweet was “supposed to be a joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted. Royal watching not my forte.” On Thursday, the broadcaster said he made an “enormous mistake.” A BBC spokesperson said: “This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us.” Baker responded defiantly to the decision, saying on Twitter that the calls for his dismissal were a “masterclass in pompous faux-gravity” and that the BBC “literally threw me under the bus.” Prince Harry and Meghan’s newborn son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was born early on Monday morning. On Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex presented the baby, their first, to the world in front of selected media. In a significant milestone for British society, the newborn has made history by becoming the first biracial child in the royal family. Since the announcement of her pregnancy, Meghan has been a target of racist abuse across social media. In March, Kensington Palace staff announced they would devote more resources to deleting comments targeting the Duchess of Sussex, and to blocking abusive Twitter and Instagram accounts. The royal household also issued a set of guidelines for people engaging with its social media channels.<doc-sep>Danny Baker was fired for tweeting a joke about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son using a picture of a monkey. Photo: Getty A British radio host has been fired following uproar over a controversial photo he tweeted comparing the royal baby to a chimpanzee. On Wednesday, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry introduced their infant son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the media. Shortly afterwards, BBC Radio 5 Live host Danny Baker, posted an old black-and-white photo of a couple accompanied by a well-dressed chimpanzee, captioning it “royal baby leaves hospital.” As London’s Metro newspaper reports, the tweet quickly sparked outcry and accusations of racism against the duchess, whose biracial background has been targeted by trolls. So Danny Baker some old 90's relic thinks it's a joke to depict the #RoyalBaby as a monkey. Racists now seem to think it's acceptable to post things like this. How did that happen? Something has seriously gone wrong with our society pic.twitter.com/gk3aQefAM8 — Nick (@Nick_BLM) May 8, 2019 This is a post by Danny Baker. The royal baby is less than three days old. Danny Baker works for the BBC. In any other field this would be gross misconduct. I await the "not a racist bone in my body" statement from Danny, or a P45 from the BBC. Only 3 days old. pic.twitter.com/jF9iUl4duO — (Almost) Always Positive 💙+ (@NubiBlue) May 9, 2019 Baker, a longtime radio and TV personality, deleted the photo and tweeted an apology that many felt fell short. The 61-year-old claimed that he hadn’t considered the racist connotations of the photo because his “mind [is] not diseased” — a statement that critics said put the blame on those offended and made light of mental health issues. Though he said he was “appalled” by the “silly unthinking gag,” he dismissed accusations of racism and insisted he would have “used same stupid pic for any other royal birth or [politician] Boris Johnson or even one of my own” because it’s “a funny pic.” Story continues I'm really confused about the message that #DannyBaker (@prodnose) was trying to convey? You had 3 other chances to post that photo when George, Charlotte and Louis were born but chose to post it now? You are not silly or ill informed! You my dear are a #racist! Pure and simple! — Ms Wright (@EyeOnYouBoo) May 9, 2019 Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased. Soon as those good enough to point out it's possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And that's it. Now stand by for sweary football tweets — Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 8, 2019 Despite denying any ill intentions, Baker announced Thursday morning that his “enormous mistake” cost him his job. He railed against the termination, tweeting that his BBC bosses “literally threw me under the bus.” “The call to fire me from @bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity,” he wrote. “Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking.” Though some supporters are calling Baker’s firing an overreaction — “If, like me, you don't see the colour of Meghan's skin, it was indeed just a joke about posh people,” read one comment — many are celebrating the BBC’s decision. “Meghan has been subject to horrific/veiled racist abuse and prejudice online and in print since the start of their relationship,” noted British news anchor Charlene White in a Twitter thread. “Of which we are ALL aware.” “To post a pic picturing a 3-day old baby of mixed heritage as a monkey, then claim it was a joke? That’s old-school prejudice and racism at its peak.” Glad that Danny Baker has been fired. His tweet was outrageously racist and he had the audacity to turn the blame back on the people who called him out. I think we all know which of us has the ‘diseased mind’. #DannyBaker — Rosie (@RoseBuck_) May 9, 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle introduced their son to the world on Wednesday. Photo: AAP Words by Erin Donnelly Got a story tip? Send it to lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.<doc-sep>The BBC has fired a British radio presenter who tweeted an image of a chimpanzee dressed in clothes below the caption "Royal Baby leaves hospital". Meghan, wife of Prince Harry, gave birth in the early hours of Monday morning to a baby boy, Archie, the first mixed race child to be born into a senior position in British royalty in recent history. "Just got fired," Danny Baker, a broadcaster with BBC Radio 5 Live, said on Twitter. The BBC also reported the news. A spokesman for the BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<doc-sep>
Danny Baker has been FIRED from his BBC Radio 5 Live over a 'racist' royal baby tweet. The 61-year-old radio host had tweeted then deleted an image comparing the newborn Archie Harrison to a chimpanzee. It was met with backlash as users believed Danny was mocking the Duchess of Sussex's racial heritage. "Just got fired from @bbc5live. For the record - it was red sauce. Always," he tweeted this morning. Remaining unrepentant, Danny added: "The call to fire me from bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity. Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suit's knees knocking. "Now it's started raining. Perfect. IntoEveryLife." In an email sent to all 5 Live staff, controller Jonathan Wall said: "Danny made a serious error of judgement on social media last night and it goes against the values we live and breathe on this radio station." Take a quick survey and help us improve our website! Take a survey Danny has been a brilliant broadcaster for us and I want to thank him for his work." The controversy started not long after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave the world its first glimpse of the latest addition to the royal family, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Danny tweeted the black and white image of a couple holding hands with a chimp dressed in a hat, cane and overcoat, writing above it: "Royal baby leaves hospital." There was uproar and while Baker trended on Twitter he removed the post. He then posted an apology, claiming that he had originally failed to realise the implications of posting the pic. In a second tweet, Baker wrote: "Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased. "Soon as those good enough to point out it’s possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And that's it. Now stand by for sweary football tweets." Baker then replied to one of his followers, stating that the post was not meant to be 'racially insensitive'. He wrote: "Connection never occurred to me till people were good enough to enlighten. "Little fella in posh suit. Anyway, deleted now." Share this story