Chinese police round up revellers dressed as Batman and Jesus

Revellers celebrating Halloween in China's capital found themselves detained by cops who demanded they remove their fancy dress.

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 prohibiting Halloween celebrations, rumours 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 what - if any - types of costumes police were targeting, as many other revellers were left alone.

Police also moved into Zhongshan Park in the city centre, where hundreds of revellers had gathered to celebrate, with video showing Shanghai Police in fluorescent yellow coats patrolling area.

After appearing to have initially enjoyed the festivities - as soon as it hit 10pm, the order came to leave the park and the gates were locked.

One Shanghai resident who was at the park with friends on the night told the BBC:'Every time someone new showed up on the scene, everyone would go, 'Wow that's cool' and laugh. There were policemen on the sidelines, but I felt they also wanted to watch'.

But when the celebrations came to an abrupt end at 10pm, a new group of policemen 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 everyone leaving from that exit could not be costumed,' the eyewitness added.

Footage saw a one person dressed as the Statue of Liberty being ushered away by park security, while a woman wearing a 'bloodied' raincoat was also approached by the cops.

One eyewitness said the number of officers targeting those in costumes seemed to outnumber the level of revellers themselves.

'Shanghai is not supposed to be like this,' the person told the broadcaster. 

'It has always been very tolerant.' 

Those rounded up were required to register their names, ID numbers and phone numbers with police before being released, South China Morning Post reported. 

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 customers dressed in 'strange costumes' would be barred.

The reason for this is because allowing them entry while in fancy dress may have resulted in the premises being closed down for 'rectification' - a euphemism for realignment with the values of the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier this month, some business owners who run establishments such as cafes and bookshops in Shanghai were also discouraged by the government to host Halloween gatherings, according to the BBC. 

A bar and restaurant owner in the Jing An said that before the weekend celebrations, local officials came out to him and others asking him to sign a pledge that he would not be organising costumed parties at their businesses.

The pledge claimed 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 there would be a ban on large-scale Halloween activities. 

Several universities also issued warnings to their students before the Halloween weekend.

It comes after Halloween revellers last year in Shanghai went viral for dressing up in costumes that made fun of the Chinese government and its policies.

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

This infuriated authorities who are notoriously intolerable to even the slightest criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

Some participants used the opportunity to remind one another of the White Paper protests hosted by students in 2022 - at first to rally against lockdown and then about the party's authoritarianism.

And in 2014, Beijing police said people wearing Halloween-themed costumes on the city's metro system could face arrest, claiming costumes could cause crowds to gather and create 'trouble'.