Tiananmen Flooded by Santas

A major disturbance took place on Tiananmen Square over the weekend, when around a hundred people in Santa costumes posed for a photograph, according to a Global Times report this morning.

The gathering was part of the SantaCon Christmas pub crawl on Saturday, which saw a large group of revelers dressed in red and white costumes visit sites across the city. Authorities were not impressed, it seems, when they gathered on Tiananmen Square. The Global Times reports:

“When the Santas assembled for a group shot before leaving for the next phase of the daylong pub-crawl, police demanded they disperse.

‘You are causing a social disturbance, leave the square now,’ an officer said.

When asked why, the officer said, ‘This is an order of the Beijing police department.’

‘If you want to visit Tiananmen, come in the appropriate way,’ he added.”

So there you have it. Visiting Tiananmen in silly costumes is considered highly inappropriate.

The Santas reportedly left the square without incident and the area's usual state of serious harmony was quickly restored.