Jade Savage, a beautician from Warrington, Cheshire, claims police officers told her to remove Halloween decorations depicting body bags hanging from a tree in her garden after receiving complaints that they were offensive.
According to Savage, a police officer knocked on her door on October 18 to alert her to the issues with the decorations, which were hanging from a tree in front of her house in Lowton, Greater Manchester. She alleges the officer said complaints had been received about the decorations because they depicted suicide.
Decorations Targeted After Complaints
Savage claims she turned the decorations upside down, hanging them by their feet, but another officer visited the following day and demanded they be removed. She said the Halloween decorations have been a family tradition for 10 years and that she was being targeted by 'woke snowflakes'.
After sharing her predicament on social media, opinion was split on whether they were offensive. Some said they were 'tacky' and 'in bad taste' as they depicted suicide, while others argued it was 'ridiculous' and encouraged her to continue displaying them, claiming 'you can't do anything without offending someone these days'.
Family Tradition Under Fire
Savage, who shared a public Facebook post saying the decorations were on display, says she will take them down as she 'doesn't want the aggravation'. She said: "I think it's wokeness taken too far and people being snowflakes. I think we all have a different opinion and sense of humour. My humour is dark and not to everyone's liking."
She added: "I'm not ignorant to think this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's not representative of suicide. it's simply just a bin bag hanging from a tree. It's a cheap, easy prop to make for Halloween. They're not meant to represent suicidal bodies [...] they're just bin bags."
Police Response
Savage said: "The first police officer informed me there had been complaints made. I agreed that I'd hang them from the feet to make them seem less suicidal. The second police officer said they needed to come down because there had been complaints and [...] they needed to come down."
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed it had received reports in relation to the Halloween decorations and the potential for them to cause offence and upset, due to the potential suicide interpretation. GMP also confirmed it visited the property to make the occupant aware there had been complaints, but a spokesperson said the force hadn't taken any action, no orders had been issued and no crimes have been identified.
