CNN became the butt of numerous jokes after devoting a segment to a purported ISIS flag that appeared at London Pride festivities last week which turned out to be a cleverly-designed banner featuring images of dildos and other sex toys in place of Arabic script.
It's been suggested that "dildos of terror" mistake is the network's "most embarrassing flub ever," but now, the man behind the flag has come forward, saying he intentionally designed the piece as an ISIS parody.
British artist Paul Coombs said in a statement that his mission for the piece was to "demonstrate as much respect for ISIS and their ideology as ISIS shows for the people and religion it claims to represent."
"The brutalization and murder of individuals simply for holding differing beliefs, or for being of an alternate sexuality, is this organization’s hallmark and something that should be at the top of the world’s conscience," he said in the statement, which was cited by The Mirror and Metro UK. "The victimization of an individual because of their sexuality, regarding the person as nothing more than a sex object, is highlighted in this work by the use of the dildo motif."
A full image of the flag, which Coombs calls "Dildosis," that appeared at London Pride can be seen below:
Other snaps of "Dildosis" can be found on Coombs' official website.
ISIS has expressed vehemently anti-LGBT views, and reportedly has murdered gay men by dropping them off buildings.