London: A Pakistani company has issued an apology after mistakenly advertising a nonexistent Halloween parade in Dublin, Ireland, leading thousands of Dubliners to gather on the city’s main street, O’Connell Street, awaiting the phantom event.

The error, attributed to a “human mistake,” left throngs of people anticipating a grand parade by the Irish theatre group Mácnas, known for their elaborate Halloween displays.

According to The Guardian, the blunder occurred when a team member on the website My Spirit Halloween copied last year’s event listing for a Mácnas Halloween parade and posted it as part of this year’s events lineup.

This misleading information, which went viral on social media and ranked highly in Google searches ahead of Halloween, created a ripple effect, drawing large crowds to Dublin’s streets on Thursday night.

Videos and eyewitness accounts captured the extent of the confusion. Irish filmmaker Bertie Brosnan described a packed scene: “I was there filming for 40 minutes. From Parnell Square West — both sides of the street — people were packed five to 10 deep, lined up all the way down around the corner as far as the spire,” he told The Guardian.

Public transport, including Dublin’s tram service, Luas, was also temporarily disrupted by the crowds who had gathered for the nonexistent event.

Once the Gardaí, Ireland’s national police service, began dispersing the crowd, speculation surfaced among attendees, some of whom suspected a scam. However, the man behind My Spirit Halloween, Nazir Ali, has since spoken to media, including The Irish Times, expressing deep regret over the mishap. “We are highly embarrassed and highly depressed, and very sorry,” Ali said.

He emphasised that the error was unintentional and that allegations of deliberate misinformation were untrue. “It was our mistake and we should have double-checked it to make sure it was happening,” he explained, noting his distress over the incident.

The event has sparked conversation on social media regarding the broader issues of misinformation and the potential for more serious misunderstandings through digital platforms.

One user on X (formerly Twitter) commented, “This is just Halloween. Now think of how many people are fed with misinformation online on other issues.” Gary Gannon, a Social Democrat TD, highlighted the risks associated with misinformation and AI, alluding to a recent deepfake incident where singer Taylor Swift appeared to endorse Irish politician Michael Healy-Rae.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024