Revelers celebrating Halloween in China’s capital were detained by police who demanded they remove their costumes.
Footage captured Batmen, skeletons and at least one Jesus being led away by Chinese police in Shanghai on Saturday night.
While there has been no official notice banning Halloween celebrations, rumors of a possible crackdown began circulating online earlier this month.
Some partygoers said online that they were forced to remove their makeup at a police station, but it is still unclear what kind of costumes police were looking for (if any) as many other revelers were left alone.
Police also moved to Zhongshan Park in the city center, where hundreds of revelers had gathered to celebrate, and Shanghai police in fluorescent yellow coats are seen patrolling the area on video.
Footage captured Shanghai police officers patrolling a local park as revelers celebrated in costume.
People in costumes were filmed being taken away by police and some claimed they were forced to remove their make-up at police stations.
Police patrolled the streets of Shanghai over the weekend.
Revelers dressed up in costumes and took photos until police began a crackdown at 10 p.m.
After initially appearing to enjoy the festivities, as soon as 10pm arrived, the order came to leave the park and the gates were closed.
A Shanghai resident who was at the park with friends that night. he told the BBC:’Every time someone new came on the scene, everyone would say, ‘Wow, that’s cool,’ and laugh. There were police on the sidelines, but I felt like they wanted to watch too.”
But when the celebrations ended abruptly at 10pm, a new group of police arrived and began cordoning off the park.
‘When we left the park, they told us to take off our entire helmet. “They told us that everyone who left through that exit could not dress up,” the witness added.
A person dressed as the Statue of Liberty was seen being taken away by park security, while police also approached a woman wearing a “bloody” raincoat.
One witness said the number of officers attacking those in costume seemed to exceed the level of the revelers themselves.
“Shanghai shouldn’t be like this,” the person told the station.
“He’s always been very tolerant.”
Detainees were required to register their names, identification numbers and telephone numbers with police before being released. The South China Morning Post reported.
There was no formal announcement that celebrating Halloween was illegal and the police did not arrest all partygoers; However, the city’s bar owners had warned that patrons dressed in “bizarre costumes” would be banned.
The reason for this is that allowing them entry in disguise may have resulted in the premises being closed for “rectification”, a euphemism for realignment with the values of the Chinese Communist Party.
Earlier this month, the government also discouraged some business owners who run establishments such as cafes and bookstores in Shanghai from hosting Halloween gatherings, according to the BBC.
Last year, partygoers gathered in the streets where there was also a police presence. Pictured: Citizens and tourists dress up and participate in a Halloween parade in Shanghai, China, on October 31, 2023.
Last year’s Halloween revelers in Shanghai went viral for dressing up in costumes that mocked the Chinese government and its policies.
People dress like characters from their favorite works of fiction or historical figures.
In 2014, Beijing police said people who wore Halloween-themed costumes on the city’s subway system could face arrest. Pictured: Shanghai Halloween Parade, 2023
The owner of a bar and restaurant in Jing An said that before the weekend celebrations, local officials approached him and others asking him to sign a pledge that he would not host costume parties at their businesses.
The pledge stated that the district wanted to “maintain good social order and public image,” the owner said.
Around the same time, unverified messages from an apparent government work chat group circulated online, suggesting that large-scale Halloween activities would be banned.
Several universities also issued warnings to their students ahead of the Halloween weekend.
It comes after last year’s Halloween revelers in Shanghai went viral for dressing up in costumes that mocked the Chinese government and its policies.
Footage from last year’s celebrations shows people wearing controversial costumes depicting surveillance cameras and Covid19 testers.
This infuriated authorities who are notoriously intolerant of even the slightest criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.
Some participants took the opportunity to remind themselves of the White Paper protests organized by students in 2022, first to protest against the lockdown and then against the authoritarianism of the party.
And in 2014, Beijing police said people who wore Halloween-themed costumes on the city’s subway system could face arrest, claiming the costumes could cause crowds to gather and create “trouble.”