United States: Schools ban the Squid Game costume on Halloween<

For schools in New York State, the disguise and the series from which it comes are too violent for the students.

The costumes inspired by the South Korean series Squid Game are popular for Halloween, but schools in New York State have decided to ban them, deeming the hit Netflix series too violent for them children.

“Violent messages”

In the United States, to mark the tradition of Halloween, children are allowed to go to class in costume for the last day of school before the celebration, which this year falls on a Sunday.

But in the Fayetteville-Manlius school district, located in upstate New York and which has six schools, including three elementary, costumes inspired by the Squid Game series will not be eligible of the city on Friday "because of the violent messages they can inspire," said its superintendent, Craig Tice, in a statement sent to the media, including AFP.

The series, which has become a worldwide phenomenon, features characters from the marginalized fringes of South Korea who compete in traditional children's games, such as "1-2-3 sun", to win a huge sum of money. 'money. But the losers are killed as the trials progress, in scenes of great violence.

Like hot cakes

In the series, all the players wear green tracksuits that make them look like prisoners, while their guards and executioners are dressed in a fuchsia jumpsuit and wear black masks, on which a triangle appears, a circle or a square according to their rank. So many possible accessories to dress up for Halloween, and which have been going like hot cakes in recent days in a shop in Manhattan, New York, where an AFP journalist went.

Usually, schools in New York already ban all kinds of masks or dummy weapons, according to emails received by parents and consulted by AFP.

“Staff members recently noticed that some students at recess were imitating 'Squid Game' games after Netflix listed the series as not recommended for those under 17 in the United States, a added Craig Tice.

“Our principals wanted to make sure families were aware that it would be inappropriate for a student to wear a Halloween costume from this show to school due to the violent messages. potentials associated with the suit,” he added.