Website owner says Dublin Halloween parade listing a 'mistake'

The owner of a Pakistan-based website which shared details of a non-existent Halloween parade in Dublin says it was "a mistake, it was not a joke, it was not a scam".

On Thursday, hundreds of people gathered on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre for the parade but no police or stewards were present.

Gardaí (Irish police) then released a statement saying that no Halloween parade was scheduled and asked those who turned out to "disperse safely".

The website's owner told BBC News NI: "We are highly embarrassed and ashamed and we are really sorry about it, that because of us people wasted their time and money."

'Intentions are very pure'

The public showed up due to a post which first appeared on a website called 'myspirithalloween.com'.

The website includes listings of Halloween events in Ireland and other countries.

The owner said the website is based in Pakistan and the issue occurred when a writer using a listing of a previous parade was "unaware" that it was not taking place this year.

Once the article was posted the owner said it went "viral" on TikTok and Instagram despite the website not sharing it on their own social platforms.

He said: "No one in Ireland informed us that this parade was not going to happen.

"If they told us before the evening we would have removed it."

Once the website was alerted that the parade was not going ahead, the owner said the article was removed immediately.

"Our intentions are very pure, we tried our best to give authentic content.

"It was a genuine mistake and we're accepting it, we're not running from it," he added.

Bertie Brosnan is a social media content creator and filmmaker who went to livestream the event.

“I looked at the website and I thought it was legit.

"I was duped,” Bertie told BBC News NI.

When Mr Brosnan arrived, he realised quickly that the parade was not happening.

He said it quickly dawned on him “because parades usually have barricades, security, police and some sort of organisation” and he could see no evidence of that, just “vast amounts of people”.

'No criminal offences'

A Garda spokesperson said the event will not be investigated as "no criminal offences were disclosed".

"An Garda Síochána advises that members of the public always verify any information online regarding upcoming events from trusted and reputable sources.

"Public information on major events including traffic management, transport and public safety advice is often available on the Garda website, Dublin City Council website and from other relevant stakeholders," they added.