First published on the "Monk Debunks" substack, which you can subscribe to here.

Crikey, not content with trying to “ban” Christmas and Easter, now they’re asking for trick-or-treating to be banned too?

Well, according to GB News, they are.

Screenshot taken from GB News

And who are “they” in this context?

Sadly, we all know who we are meant to conjure up, with the online commentary and newspaper comments sections confirming - it’s the Muslims, obviously…

So, where does this idea come from?

That will be the Telegraph posting not one, not two, but three articles reporting that some police forces and councils are suggesting that not everyone is OK with trick-or-treaters knocking on their door at night.

Let’s take a look at what the police actually said, why they might have said it, and find out if this is something new.

Police Guidance

The Telegraph starts with Leicestershire Police:

Leicestershire Police has advised that residents may sit out celebrations because they are “observing religious or cultural beliefs that do not include Hallowe’en”.

Its advice states that Hallowe’en revellers should not only steer clear of houses displaying “no trick or treat” posters, but also avoid homes not adorned with pumpkins or other decorations.

A note from Oadby and Wigston police, which is part of Leicestershire Police force, thanked residents for following advice that would “keep communities safe, respectful and inclusive”.

Leicestershire Police had put out some social media posts highlighting that not everyone enjoys Trick-or-Treaters and asked people to be respectful and “Help everyone enjoy Halloween in a way that feels comfortable for them.”

They made no mention of religious or cultural beliefs.

Their website contained links to a poster you could use if you’d rather not be involved

Poster from Leicestershire Police

Interestingly, there are also links to the posters they used to convey the same message in 2020 and 2021 - so nothing new!

Oadby and Wigston Police force within Leicestershire put out a Facebook post and a Neighbourhood link post that read:

🎃 Halloween can be a fun time for many, but not everyone chooses to take part in trick or treating for a number of reasons:

• Young children or babies who may be sleeping.

• Elderly residents who may find repeated door knocks distressing.

• People working night shifts who need to rest.🛌

• Individuals with autism, dementia, anxiety, PTSD or other conditions who may find unexpected visitors overwhelming.

• Households with nervous pets.🐶

• Residents observing religious or cultural beliefs that do not include Halloween.

• People who simply prefer not to take part.

If a home is displaying the attached poster, or not displaying any decorations/pumpkins etc., then please respect their wishes and avoid knocking on the door.
A little consideration goes a long way in helping everyone enjoy Halloween in a way that feels comfortable for them.

Thank you for helping keep our communities safe, respectful and inclusive. 🧡

#CelebrateSafely

And yes, amongst the seven possible reasons why people might not want to take part was “religious or cultural beliefs”. So of course that became the headline.

Next up, the Telegraph moved to Swale Borough Council in Kent:

Swale Borough Council in Kent, in partnership with Kent Police, has also issued guidance that some households may not take part in Hallowe’en celebrations for “religious reasons”.

Hannah Perkin, chairman of the community committee of the council, said in a statement: “While many households are decorating their homes, making their costumes or buying sweets for the trick-or-treaters, some in Swale may be worrying about Hallowe’en instead.”

She added: “We need to respect their right to sit out of the festivities.”

Again, the Telegraph has cherry-picked the “religious reasons” out of what was actually said by Cllr Hannah Perkin:

“While many households are decorating their homes, making their costumes or buying sweets for the trick or treaters, some in Swale may be worrying about Halloween instead.

“Whether they don’t feel safe opening the door to strangers, have health issues, are going through financial hardship or don’t take part for religious reasons, we need to respect their right to sit out of the festivities.

“While many turn off lights in their home so they don’t get trick-or-treaters to their door, these posters are a clear sign, in writing, that they aren’t taking part and will help make the householders feel more at ease this Halloween.

What’s strange is that I don’t remember GB News polls and Telegraph articles in 2023 when a Swale Borough Council spokesman said:

“There are many reasons why people may not want to take part, whether it is for religious reasons, you or a loved one are at risk or suffer from poor health or you lack disposable income this year for decorations and sweets. Some residents may also be scared to open the doors to strangers after dark.”

Or when current Reform councillor for Swale, Richard Palmer, said:

“There are many reasons for people not wanting to take part in the Halloween festivities, and it is important for communities to respect those households’ right to do so.
These posters offer a clear way for residents to show they do not want to take part in trick-or-treating this year.
If you or anyone you know wants to sit this year out, just print out the poster and place it on your home, and you should have a relaxed Halloween night.
But it is key that parents tell their children to look out for, and avoid, any homes that have the poster.”

If it wasn’t controversial for a Reform councillor to say that three years ago, why has it become so now?

The Telegraph name-checks a couple of other councils, including Buckinghamshire and Thames Valley Police:

Buckinghamshire council informs would-be trick-or-treaters that some residents do not wish to be disturbed because they are “fighting demons of their own”.

The Buckinghamshire Council website says:

If you are planning to take your little monsters trick or treating this Halloween, bear in mind that behind some closed doors there may be those who are already scared, vulnerable, or fighting demons of their own. It could be anxiety. It could be a disability. It could be trauma or abuse. There are a few things you should look out for.

Despite there being no mention of Religious beliefs, GB News anchor Alex Armstrong tweeted out an image of the Thames Valley No Trick or Treat poster with the words:

Real poster from Buckinghamshire Council and Thames Valley police.
Police have issued a warning to the public that Halloween can upset "religious or cultural beliefs" ahead of the celebrations this weekend.
I’m so tired of all this crap.

To which Thames Valley Police felt the need to fact-check him:

Hi Alex. This is a poster that can be used by anyone, such as elderly or vulnerable residents, who do not wish to have unexpected callers or be disturbed. At no point have we mentioned that Halloween can upset "religious or cultural" beliefs.

Of course, that was seen by a fraction of the people who saw the original Armstrong tweet.

As I’ve already touched on, these kinds of posters are nothing new. Examples I found go back at least 22 years!

Posters from 2017, 2016, 2010, 2004

What about the religious aspect that the headlines focused on? We’ve already seen that Swale Borough Council were citing religious reasons back in 2023, so that’s not new either, but what are the religious objections and is it right to blame Muslims?

Religion

The Telegraph tries to pretend they don’t understand the religious objections:

The nature of religious objection is not explained by the authorities, but many faith groups could have theological objections to partaking in celebrations, as it could be seen as too Christian by non-Christians, or too pagan by Christians.

I’ve not come across any faith groups claiming Halloween is “too Christian”.

But I have seen debates amongst Christians, Muslims, and Jews around whether Halloween fits with their religious beliefs, with its Pagan origins and glorification of demons, devils and the undead.

As with so many cultural topics, opinions differ even within religious groups, with some being against Halloween celebrations and others seeing it as harmless secular fun.

As the thrust of the media coverage around these posters is so obviously insinuating that the religious objection must somehow be foreign, I will focus on how some Christians view Halloween.

In a 2010 Gallup poll in the USA, around 10% of Americans objected to Halloween on religious grounds. Amongst those who attended Church weekly, this went up to 27%.

Different US research in 2015 found 18% of Christians tried to avoid the Pagan elements of Halloween, while 23% avoided Halloween altogether.

It varied greatly between Christian groups, with 71% of Catholics most likely to say “It’s all in good fun”, compared to 49% of Protestants and 45% of Evangelicals.

When I was looking for Halloween posters to see how old some of them were, I found plenty of posters available for Christians who did not want Trick-or-Treaters to knock on their doors.

Here in the UK, 2024 YouGov polling found 31% of Britons did not like Halloween (increasing to 48% of those over 65), with two-thirds of the population not celebrating it.

Of the two-thirds who don’t celebrate, 4% say it goes against their religious beliefs, and 3% say they don’t like what it stands for. So yes, religious beliefs are objectively one of the reasons why people may choose not to be involved.

Interestingly, when looking for the Oadby and Wigston police guidance that triggered these Telegraph articles, I found minutes from the 2010 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council meeting, where clergy from 6 local churches (including Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and others) wrote to the council to protest “the suggestion of celebrating Hallowe’en by using the illuminated sign that marks faith festivals.”

I know that many in my church would be very alarmed and upset if such a suggestion were adopted.

The Christian festival of All Saints (All Hallows) held on 1st November is a celebration of the light and life of God, which those who die in faith enjoy for ever. Resurrection is at the heart of our faith and All Saints is a celebration of our resurrection, of our hope of life through death. It is into that hope that we entrust our loved ones when they die. While for many, Hallowe’en is an occasion for harmless pranks and funny costumes, it carries at least three negative connotations:

• In antithesis to the light and life celebrated at All Saints, evokes darkness and death. Wiccans understand the night before Samhain (1st November) as a time to invite the dead back into the world of the living. This reversal of Christian resurrection hope places Hallowe’en in direct opposition to Christianity.

• There is much in the celebrations of other faiths that Christians can welcome. Festivals of light resonate with aspects of Christian theology and other festivals that commemorate the birth of prophets, saints and events in history are worthy of our respect. But beneath Hallowe’en’s fun, its emphasis on death, fear and dread is not something that followers of any of the main faiths would welcome. Jews, Muslims, Christians and others share a strong rejection of the idea of welcoming or worshipping supernatural powers and spirits other than God.

• The greatest concerns about the non-religious implications of Hallowe’en are in relation to the fear that trick-or-treat causes, especially among the lone elderly, and of consumerist exploitation.

So, in conclusion, these kinds of posters have been around for over two decades; no one is trying to ban trick-or-treating, and there are people in this country who do not wish to partake in Halloween on religious grounds, and that includes Christians.

As ever, when a headline is aiming to make you angry with something ‘police say’ (or any other organisation, for that matter!) particularly where they’re referring to religion, or any other cultural war issue, go in with a good deal of scepticism:

• What was the context?

• What has been cherry-picked, and what has been left out?

• Is this something new?

• If not, why am I being told about it now?

“They’re banning Christmas” season is nearly upon us, so please remain vigilant!

Photo by Barbara Chowaniec on Unsplash

First published on the "Monk Debunks" substack, which you can subscribe to here.