Remember that “anti-Beyoncé protest rally” that set the internet alight last week? The one that was supposed to condemn the “race-baiting” singer for her politically charged performance at the Super Bowl? Well, despite all the insane build-up, it turns out no one actually cares. According to various reports, the much buzzed-about event was greeted with a dismal turnout – and ended up becoming just a big anti-anti-Beyoncé party instead.

The rally, which took place outside the NFL’s New York headquarters yesterday, was set to protest the singer’s unapologetically black “Formation” performance – with the original event page claiming it was “slap in the face” to police. “Are you offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl?” the rallying cry read. “Do you agree that the Black Panthers was/is a hate group which should not be glorified? Come and let's stand together. Let's tell the NFL we don't want hate speech and racism at the Superbowl ever again!”

Sadly, despite police turning up and cordoning off an entire section of Park Avenue in anticipation, only two people showed up on time. One was a middle-aged man named Tim Winterhalter, who arrived at 9 am – though he may not have been entirely clear on what was happening. “To be honest, I didn’t even watch the half-time show,” he told The Guardian. “(I've just come to) check everything out.”

The second protester to show up was a 44-year-old Ted Cruz supporter called Ariel Kohane. “I was expecting to meet thousands of people,” he said, clearly disappointed by the turnout. When asked why he thought so few people had bothered, though, he was quick to make excuses. “It's a business day. Also, the weather; the rain turned a lot of people away. You know, 6 pm would be a better time. Even lunch time – 12 pm, 1 pm.”

A third person, 25-year-old April Bedunah from Seattle, did eventually show up two hours later – leading the grand total to shift slowly up to a (sort of) three. Wearing a hat with the word “POLICE” emblazoned across the front, she told reporters that she had come because she had become concerned by Beyoncé’s “sickening” new persona. “She used to spread a message of love and now she ‘runs the world’,” Bedunah explained. “It’s making people hate each other. She could have talked about anything else rather than trying to make people mad. And look what it caused.”

The lack of people has made some speculate over the authenticity of the original event – which appears to have been started by just one person, rather than a group. However, whether the stunt was for publicity or not, the Beyhive members that turned up to defend the singer are still feeling cautious. “It’s easier to be a racist online than it is in real life,” said pro-Bey protestor, Cherno Biko.