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A baker in Washington state has apologized after creating a Valentine’s Day cookie that read “Build that Wall,” igniting an uproar and a political debate on social media.

Ken Bellingham, who owns Edmonds Bakery in Edmonds, Washington, told the local newspaper that the cookie was a “joke” — one he has since apologized for online — and that he should not have brought politics into his business.

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“I guess the joke is on me,” Bellingham told NBC affiliate KING.

“If I wanted to make a political statement, I’d put it on a sign and march up and down the street,” he told the news station. “But I put it on a cookie for heaven’s sake.”

He could not immediately be reached by The Washington Post.

The pink-frosted, heart-shaped cookie drew backlash last week online, with many calling it “racist” and arguing that it has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day. Others threatened to boycott the store.

Photo by KING-TV / ASSOCIATED PRESS

“If you want a bigoted, racist bakery, you’ve found it!” one reviewer wrote on the business’s Yelp page. “They probably don’t bake cakes for gay weddings either.”