Syria Civil Defence, a.k.a. the White Helmets, were recently named Nobel Peace Prize finalists for their work, reportedly saving over 70,000 civilian lives in the war-torn nation.
But a recent video from the group has resulted in considerable backlash, with the Syria Civil Defence now calling it "an error of judgement," according to CNN.
Filmed by opposition group the Revolutionary Forces of Syria (RFS), the clip is a riff on the #MannequinChallenge.
"This video and the related posts were recorded by RFS media with Syria Civil Defence 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 judgment, and we apologise on behalf of the volunteers involved," said the statement.
The comments came after a media outlet in Russia and voice on social media implied that by "faking" this video, the White Helmets' other videos should be treated with suspicion -- a stance pushed by Syria President Bashar al-Assad.
RFS has previously used internet trends to bring attention to the plight of Syria's remaining civilian residents, using Pokemon Go and The Avengers to keep the rest of world engaged. Not an easy task.
