I’ve been really getting into Snapchat recently, which is a shame because there’s a fair chance it’ll die like Vine. But I digress. One of the most prolific and enjoyable Snapchatters that I follow is the controversial White Moose Cafe. According to posts on Facebook and Snapchat this morning, the cafe’s owner, Paul Stenson, was arrested this morning.
Who are the White Moose Cafe?
The cafe is based in Dublin 7 and is a part of Charleville Lodge Hotel. Between them, the two businesses have never been too far from making headlines. In the past, they published CCTV videos of customers eating after making a complaint and most recently went on a somewhat justified tirade against someone who left a negative review. They’ve even taken on eir after getting a massive roaming bill. Their own promo video will go some way towards explaining what they’re all about:
The White Moose Cafe uses social media like Facebook and Snapchat to increase their notoriety. Their videos are usually manned by Paul Stenson, the owner, and his boyfriend Jason. Again, they’re rarely too far away from doing something mad on social, but apparently, they’ve overstepped a line.
Was Paul Stenson arrested?
If we take everything at face value, Paul Stenson was indeed arrested this morning. A plain-clothes detective can be seen on the cafe’s Snapchat account informing Paul that there was a complaint about a video he’d made on Snapchat. Then, in a series of Snaps, the Garda brings Paul through the usually arresting malarky, handcuffs him and lobs him into the back of a Garda van. Here’s the Snapchat story for you:
Surely this arrest is a stunt, no?
Every part of mean is jumping up and down saying this is another White Moose Café stunt. But there is a fair bit of evidence to the contrary.
- Yesterday the White Moose Cafe was suspended on Snapchat, suggesting someone did indeed report them
- It’s unlikely you’ll ever find a Garda willing to handcuff and detain someone as part of a prank
- White Moose Cafe and Paul Stenson have a lot of enemies
- Paul does the awkward “shite I’ve to talk to a Garda face”
With that said, there’s still a massive chance this will unfold to be a PR stunt. There are parts of this that just come across like a low-budget TV drama. Paul was conveniently Snapchatting important moments in the story and, while doing so discreetly, wasn’t stopped by the Garda from filming the arrest.
The “reading of rights” by the Garda sounded thrown together and surely a bit of questioning would have gone on before an arrest? If I was a gambling man, I’d say that van was also empty leaving the property.
Finally, when a loved one gets arrested, you usually turn to a solicitor, not a Twitter hashtag:
Guys can we please try and get the hashtag #freepaulstenson trending. I'm in a heap here. Paul needs to be released ASAP. Jason
— White Moose Cafe (@whitemoosecafe) July 2, 2017
What could they have done wrong?
It’s difficult to know exactly what would have set someone off. Paul and Jason are just back from touring Rome and the Vatican, so some believe it’s possible that they’ve breached that bloody Blasphemy Law by dissing the Pope. I’m far from convinced by this argument as the lads were in Italy, hardly a problem for the Gardai. Was it Jason’s bare arse dancing in the shower? Paul was triggered into a rant about people following their Snapchat and reporting them instead of just not watching. This actually supports the idea that it’s all a PR stunt.
If you’re brave enough, wander into the comment section of their post and you’ll be able to read about the conspiracy theories in full.
Unfortunately, if you want to find out whether this is a prank or not, they’ve done it again and made waves online. To find out the truth, you’ll have to do exactly what they want you to do: follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.
Update: Paul is back on Snapchat with Jason. Clearly, in the cafe, Paul plays out that he’s still under arrest, signing of a series of tweets:
Considering I’m still in a prison cell, you should definitely believe everything you see online
It would appear to have all been a worthwhile prank, with Stenson claiming their Snapchat had gained 15,000 followers in one afternoon. How do you feel about it all? Let us know in the comments.
