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After comparing the term “anti-vax” to the n-word, “Shrek” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” screenwriter Terry Rossio has apologized. “In a recent Twitter post, arguing against stereotyping and hate speech, I referenced the ‘n-word’ (the actual word) as an example of what not to do. That was a mistake. I am sorry. I now understand that the word has no place in any conversation, ever,” he wrote today after receiving widespread criticism for his earlier remarks.

In the second of three tweets, Rossio continued, “You can’t make a point against hate speech and reference actual words of hate speech. That was insensitive and ignorant. I am immediately deleting the post to remove that toxic word from the internet, where it should never appear in any context.”

He concluded, “As the mistake was mine alone, this apology is also mine alone. A deeply felt apology to all. I continue to stand against hate speech and dehuhmanizing lables in any form.”

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“My heart goes out to all the parents of vaccine damaged children, who have to not only endure the sadness of their loss, but also the vitriol of ill-informed and insensitive people (such as those here). Anti-Vax is equivalent to calling someone a n****r and makes as little sense,” Rossio wrote in the now-deleted tweet, leaving the offending word in question uncensored.

In 2016, Variety reported that Rossio is working on an adaptation of Andrew Wakefield’s 2010 book “Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines – The Truth Behind a Tragedy.” Wakefield authored a discredited research paper linking vaccines to autism, and was eventually barred from practicing medicine in the UK; in 2016; he directed the documentary “Vaxxed.”