Shanghai: police stop and detained people who celebrate Halloween in the streets
Over the weekend, police were deployed at sensitive sites across the big city, detaining people wearing masks. Despite the absence of any formal ban, anyone caught with a mask or make-up is at risk. Last year the celebration provided an opportunity to criticise and attack the leadership and policies of the Communist Party of China.
Shanghai (AsiaNews) – Over the weekend, the authorities in Shanghai boosted checks and increased the number of patrols in sensitive points of the metropolis, to crack down on any parties or activities related to the upcoming Halloween celebrations on 31 October.
Law enforcement and local government in China’s foremost international want to prevent a repeat of last year, when partygoers crowded downtown wearing costumes that suggestively criticised the leadership and policies of the ruling Communist Party of China, the economic crisis, youth unemployment, and COVID-19-related health measures.
In the past few days, revelry was subdued given heavy police presence, online warning of zero tolerance towards demonstrations, as well as poor weather with constant rain.
According to some witnesses cited by Reuters, several people in costumes who had shown up in Zhongshan Park last Friday evening were led away by police.
Although no explicit ban on Halloween is in place, local district officials sent notices to businesses ahead of the weekend encouraging family-friendly activities, while discouraging events where adults would wear masks.
A bar and restaurant owner in the Jing An nightlife district was asked to sign an agreement issued by the local district authorities pledging they would not organise any activities such as costume contests "to maintain good social order and public image.”
Friday evening, a partygoer dressed up like a skeleton was detained by police and taken to an administrative building where they were asked to remove masks and makeup.
The next day, news of the crackdown by Shanghai authorities on Halloween celebrations was trending on social media, especially Chinese Weibo with one user noting that “even in relatively open Shanghai, the scale of freedom is constantly shrinking.”
By contrast, officially sanctioned Halloween celebrations at the Shanghai Disney Resort and Happy Valley Amusement Park went ahead as scheduled.
In China, Halloween is not a traditional observance, but over the recent past local interest has grown, especially last year, above all in large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, with revellers posting pictures and videos on social media.
In 2023, the event also provided an opportunity to express discontent and dissent against central authorities through satire and irony.
As a result some masks have been banned, most notably that of Winnie-the-Pooh, the famous teddy bear disliked by Chinese authorities because some Internet memes portrayed Chinese President Xi Jinping as the famous literary character.
The list of “sensitive" costumes also includes that of emperor for its association with absolute power and that of health workers, worn by young people, sadly well known during the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the "zero cases" policy and compulsory testing and lockdowns.
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15/12/2020 16:17
07/08/2020 11:17
