French journalist faces calls to be sacked for racism after saying ‘They are burying the Pokemons’ over footage of Chinese day of mourning for coronavirus dead
- BFMTV and business journalist Emmanuel Lechypre are branded ‘insensitive’
- Lechypre admitted his comments were ‘totally inappropriate’ amid the outrage
- He said he didn’t realise his microphone was switched on at the time
AN under-fire French journalist is facing calls to be fired after being slammed as racist for whispering ‘they are burying the Pokemons’ during coverage of China‘s day of mourning for coronavirus victims.
BFMTV and its business journalist Emmanuel Lechypre were blasted as ‘shockingly insensitive’ on social media as he made the remark over the three-minute silence, which was held right across China.
The rolling news channel was forced to apologise on Saturday in the wake of the outrage.
So far 3,300 have died after the pandemic swept the country, according to official figures.
Lechyre also said he was sorry as he failed to realise his microphone was switched on.
Racist: Business reporter Emmanuel Lechypre sparked outrage after whispering ‘they are burying the Pokemons’ during a tribute to the Chinese coronavirus dead
Regret: Lechypre said his comments were ‘inappropriate’ and he thought the microphone was switched off
Remembering the dead: An emotional man sheds tears for the coronavirus victims who died in Wuhan, Hubei Province
‘I allowed myself to say something totally inappropriate, thinking that the microphones were off. I am very sorry.’
Channel boss Marc-Olivier Fogiel said he was sorry to viewers but it is uncertain what action will be taken against Lechypre.
Calls have been made on social media for him to be sacked but other commentators made the point that Pokemon are Japanese in origin.
Devastated: Medical workers of Leishenshan Hospital pay a silent tribute to martyrs who died in the battle to aid patients with deadly Covid-19
Paying tribute: Drivers can sound their horns and observed a moment of silence on China’s roads
In salute: A man wearing a face mask salutes during a ceremony where the Chinese national flag is positioned at half-mast, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing as China, in a mark of respect to the dead
Paying respect: A Chinese man wearing a protective mask reacts during national mourning to mourn victims of COVID-19 in Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China
Remembering the martyrs: Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, as well as other Party and state leaders stand in silent respect
President Xi Jinping lead the tribute, which led the country to come to a halt, with cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens wailed.
Beijing said it was an opportunity to mourn virus ‘martyrs’ –an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak – including the doctor who raised the alarm was punished for ‘rumour-mongering.’
China was the first country to suffer the outbreak of coronavirus, which has globally infected more than 1 million people and claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people devastating the economy worldwide.
But the country appears to have the outbreak under control.