Communist cops’ Halloween costume clampdown: Chinese police round up revellers wearing fun outfits such as Batman and Jesus

Revelers celebrating Halloween in the Chinese capital were detained by police who demanded they take off their costumes.

Footage shows Batmen, skeletons and at least one Jesus being led away by Chinese police in Shanghai on Saturday evening.

While there is no official notice banning Halloween celebrations, rumors of a possible crackdown began circulating online earlier this month.

Some partygoers said online they were forced to remove makeup at a police station, but it remains unclear which types of costumes police targeted, and many other revelers were left alone.

Police also descended on Zhongshan Park in the city center, where hundreds of revelers had gathered to celebrate, with video showing Shanghai police in fluorescent yellow jackets patrolling the area.

Those in costumes were filmed being led away by police, with some claiming they were forced to remove their make-up at police stations

Police patrolled the streets of Shanghai over the weekend

Revelers dressed up and took photos until police began their crackdown at 10 p.m.

After initially seeming to have enjoyed the festivities – as soon as it was 10pm, the order came to leave the park and the gates were locked.

A resident of Shanghai who was in the park with friends that evening told the BBC:’Every time someone new came on the scene, everyone said ‘Wow, that’s cool’ and laughed. There were police officers on the sidelines, but I had the feeling they wanted to watch too.’

But when the festivities came to an abrupt end at 10 p.m., a new group of police officers reportedly arrived and began cordoning off the park.

‘As we left the park we were told to take off all our headgear. We were told that anyone leaving that exit was not allowed to be dressed up,” the eyewitness added.

Footage showed a person dressed as the Statue of Liberty being led away by park security, while a woman wearing a ‘bloody’ raincoat was also approached by police.

One eyewitness said the number of officers targeting people in costumes appeared to outnumber the number of revelers themselves.

“Shanghai shouldn’t be like this,” the person told the broadcaster.

“It’s always been very tolerant.”

Those arrested were required to register their names, ID numbers and phone numbers with police before being released. This was reported by the South China Morning Post.

There was no formal announcement that celebrating Halloween was illegal and not all partygoers were stopped by police. However, bar owners in the city had warned that customers dressed in ‘strange costumes’ would be refused entry.

The reason for this is that allowing them to enter while they were in costume may have led to the premises being closed for ‘rectification’ – a euphemism for realignment with the values ​​of the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier this month, some business owners running establishments such as cafes and bookstores in Shanghai were also discouraged by the government from hosting Halloween gatherings, according to the BBC.

Last year, partygoers gathered on the street, where police were also present. Pictured: Citizens and tourists dress up and take part in a Halloween parade in Shanghai, China, 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 as characters from their favorite works of fiction or historical figures

In 2014, Beijing police said people wearing Halloween-themed costumes on the city’s subway system could be arrested. Pictured: Shanghai Halloween parade, 2023

A Jing An bar and restaurant owner said local officials came to him and others before the weekend celebrations and asked 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,” according to the owner.

Around the same time, unverified messages from an apparent government work chat group were circulating online, suggesting a ban on large-scale Halloween activities.

Several universities also warned their students ahead of Halloween weekend.

It comes after Halloween revelers in Shanghai last year went viral for dressing up in costumes that mocked the Chinese government and its policies.

Images from last year’s celebrations show individuals donning controversial outfits featuring surveillance cameras and Covid19 testers.

This infuriated the authorities, who are notoriously intolerant of even the slightest criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

Some participants took the opportunity to remind each other of the White Paper protests organized by students in 2022 – first to unite against the lockdown and then over the party’s authoritarianism.

And in 2014, Beijing police said people wearing Halloween-themed costumes on the city’s subway system could be arrested, claiming costumes could cause crowds to gather and cause “trouble.”