Syria's White Helmets apologise for Mannequin challenge video
November 25, 2016 00:02
It's a familiar scene: Syrian Civil Defense, also known as "White Helmets," rushing to rescue a man covered in rubble, but unlike thousands of other videos from Aleppo, this one is staged.
The short video -- a take on the Mannequin Challenge -- was created by the Revolutionary Forces of Syria, an opposition media group, to draw attention to the crisis amid a renewed aerial assault on the besieged city.
More than 300 people have been killed in Aleppo's rebel-held eastern districts since the Syrian regime resumed heavy bombardment last Tuesday following a three-week lull.
The nearly one-minute long video has been the subject of criticism on social media. The Syrian Civil Defense released a statement calling it an "error of judgement".
"This video and the related posts were recorded by RFS media with Syria Civil Defense volunteers, who hoped to create a connection between the horror of Syria and the outside world using the viral 'Mannequin challenge.' This was an error of judgement, and we apologise on behalf of the volunteers involved," the statement read.
The Syrian Civil Defense was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for its work rescuing thousands of people since the Syrian conflict began over five years ago.
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