Gardaí had to move people on after hundreds gathered on O’Connell Street in Dublin for what turned out to be a hoax Halloween parade.
Pictures posted on social media show hundreds of people lining the street last night waiting for the event to get underway.
But it was a hoax, with information about the fake event spread online. It’s thought it may have been part of an ad-revenue scam.
Please be advised that contrary to information being circulated online, no Halloween parade is scheduled to take place in Dublin City Centre this evening or tonight.
All those gathered on O’Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely.
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/KmVPFKEZbP
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) October 31, 2024
The fake website promised a parade running from Parnell Square to Temple Bar.
The people behind the site gave it a search-friendly title, leading to it ranking high up on Google and prompting TikTok users to share the information.
The content on the site appears to be largely AI-generated.
Gardaí were forced to ask the crowds to disperse while the luas was disrupted for a time.
