History Main / FascistsBedTime

Apparently many writers' favorite way to show that a government is evil and oppressive is to have said government instill on its citizens a practice that many parents would instill on their children anyway. In the minds of many writers, a curfew is the piece of martial law no self-respecting dictatorship can go without. Specifically: the government legally forces everyone to stay inside past a certain hour at night and until a certain hour in the morning. While normally you'd expect the penalty for a rule like this to be a simple ticket or fine, the actual punishments you will find range from [[DisproportionateRetribution immediate jailtime]] at ''minimum'' to [[FelonyMisdemeanor summary execution]] at most. Narratively speaking, the authorities can say that [[FelonyMisdemeanor someone is a rebel just for being about]]; it also means [[DestructiveSavior characters can fight in major urban areas]] [[ConvenientlyEmptyBuildings without risking innocent lives]]. Sometimes the curfew isn't targeted at everyone but rather a certain group of people that the government believes is trouble or wants to oppress—and even nominal democracies built on repression of such groups can engage with this: White-controlled "sundown towns" in the United States in the era of Jim Crow imposed a sort of curfew where Black people could not enter, or had to leave, by sunset, lest they be chased out, arrested, assaulted or lynched, even.

Apparently many writers' favorite way to show that a government is evil and oppressive is to have said government instill on its citizens a practice that many parents would instill on their children anyway. In the minds of many writers, a curfew is the piece of martial law no self-respecting dictatorship can go without. Specifically: the government legally forces everyone to stay inside past a certain hour at night and until a certain hour in the morning. While normally you'd expect the penalty for a rule like this to be a simple ticket or fine, the actual punishments you will find range from [[DisproportionateRetribution immediate jailtime]] at ''minimum'' to [[FelonyMisdemeanor summary execution]] at most. Narratively speaking, the authorities can say that [[FelonyMisdemeanor someone is a rebel just for being about]]; it also means [[DestructiveSavior characters can fight in major urban areas]] [[ConvenientlyEmptyBuildings without risking innocent lives]]. Sometimes the curfew isn't targeted at everyone but rather a certain group of people that the government believes is trouble or wants to oppress—and even nominal democracies built on repression of such groups can engage with this: white-populated "sundown towns" in the United States in the era of Jim Crow imposed a sort of curfew where Black people could not enter, or had to leave, by sunset, lest they be chased out, arrested, assaulted or lynched, even.

Apparently many writers' favorite way to show that a government is evil and oppressive is to have said government instill on its citizens a practice that many parents would instill on their children anyway. In the minds of many writers, a curfew is the piece of martial law no self-respecting dictatorship can go without. Specifically: the government legally forces everyone to stay inside past a certain hour at night and until a certain hour in the morning. While normally you'd expect the penalty for a rule like this to be a simple ticket or fine, the actual punishments you will find range from [[DisproportionateRetribution immediate jailtime]] at ''minimum'' to [[FelonyMisdemeanor summary execution]] at most. Narratively speaking, the authorities can say that [[FelonyMisdemeanor someone is a rebel just for being about]]; it also means [[DestructiveSavior characters can fight in major urban areas]] [[ConvenientlyEmptyBuildings without risking innocent lives]]. Sometimes the curfew isn't targeted at everyone but rather a certain group of people that the government believes is trouble or wants to oppress.

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* In ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', Evey gets in trouble with the [[SecretPolice Fingermen]] over prostitution. ''And'' curfew. [[LighterAndSofter Toned down]] to just curfew in the film, though given [[KickTheDog the punishment they were going to give her]] is the same, that just makes it ''worse'', and either way, it makes it a relief when AntiHero V shows up to kick their asses.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* In Creator/MalorieBlackman's book ''Literature/{{Thief}}'', this is one of the first things that happen to Lydia when she is transported to the future.

* ''Literature/MermaidsOfErianaKwai'': In ''Ice Kingdom'', the merman king Adaro institutes a curfew to make his citizens easier to round up for the labour camp where [[spoiler:prisoners dig into the earth's crust in an attempt to trigger a tsunami to kill as many humans as possible]].
* ''Literature/TheSchizogenicMan'': The people of New City think of their home as an island of freedom surrounded by oppressive religious states, but New City is pretty tyrannical in its own right, with laws including a strict curfew.

%%** The story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]". ADD CONTEXT before uncommenting.

* In Music/JohnnyCash's ''Starkville City Jail''
--> They're bound to get you.
--> 'Cause they got a curfew.
--> And you go to the Starkville City jail

* You first gain control of the main character of ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'' seconds before the town's curfew goes into effect.
* In the Konquest mode of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'', the main character returns to meet his former ally and all-around KnightTemplar Hotaru in the town he's just conquered, only to be arrested for breaking curfew. Judging by appearances, he is held in a cell awaiting trial for ''over a decade''.

* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'', it's against the law to be out at night in the fascist city of Raseir, fallen twin to the free city of Shapeir.

* The online video game ''[[http://www.thecurfewgame.com/ The Curfew]]'' is about a future Britain where this ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin unsurprisingly]]) has happened.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', the town in which chapter 3 takes place is under a very strict curfew; any PMC registered person outside after a period of time is arrested (or in Snake's case, shot at) under suspicion of being part of LaResistance. Naturally you have to tail a resistance member who's breaking curfew -- [[StealthBasedGame what else were you expecting]]? However, in an amusing instance of DevelopersForesight, if you wear the Otacon mask you got in the chapter previous and don't carry any weapons, the guards will pat you down and let you move completely freely, passing you off as a citizen on his way home.

* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', all of Gotham is under a curfew due to the city expecting an implausibly powerful winter storm making it unsafe for people to be on the streets that night. This means the vast majority of people out and about fall into three categories: Cops, Crooks, and Batman.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'': The town of Sais has a curfew, as decreed by [[TortureTechnician Sufetu]].

* The episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" revolves around an enforced curfew for minors after being blamed for vandalizing Springfield Elementary ([[MisplacedRetribution though unbeknownst to the police, it was a drunk Homer, Lenny, Carl and Barney who were the culprits]]). In retaliation, [[spoiler:the kids start revealing their parents' secrets on radio and the episode ends with a musical number and the curfew being extended to ''everyone under 70'']].

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', Gosalyn is sent to the future, where the Gosalyn-less Darkwing has become a vicious dictator called Darkwarrior Duck who does this. Gosalyn even notes "Only my dad would set a universal curfew at 8 o'clock."
%%* The MirrorUniverse in the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Brave New Metropolis".
* WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 go through this in the episode "Tick Tock Smurfs" when Brainy subjects every Smurf to his own personal time schedule.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' episode where Vlad becomes mayor of Amity Park, he imposes this as an excuse to protect the children from ghosts when in reality, he's doing it to make Danny and his friends miserable.

* In Creator/MalorieBlackman's book ''Thief'', this is one of the first things that happen to Lydia when she is transported to the future.

* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': The evil WizardingSchool known as Myth/TheScholomance has a strict curfew. Violations are punishable by death. The protagonist Emily, of course, has to go out after dark in order to carry out her secret mission and thus must find ways of evading anyone who might catch her.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', the town in which chapter 3 takes place is under a very strict curfew, any PMC registered person outside after a period of time is arrested (or in Snake's case, shot at) under suspicion of being part of LaResistance. Naturally you have to tail a resistance member who's breaking curfew - [[StealthBasedGame what else were you expecting?]]
** However, in an amusing instance of DevelopersForesight, if you wear the Otacon mask you got in the chapter previous and don't carry any weapons, the guards will pat you down and let you move completely freely, passing you off as a citizen on his way home.

[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/WorldWarTwo'': Episode 42 - "Britain Votes to Leave" covers the [[DayOfTheJackboot fall of Paris]]. ThoseWackyNazis impose an 8:00 p.m. curfew on the city.
[[/folder]]

* WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs go through this in the episode "Tick Tock Smurfs" when Brainy subjects every Smurf to his own personal time schedule.

Apparently many writers' favorite way to show that a government is evil and oppressive is to have said government instill on its citizens a practice that many parents would instill on their children anyway. In the minds of many writers, a curfew is the piece of martial law no self-respecting dictatorship can go without. Specifically: the government legally forces everyone to stay inside past a certain hour at night and until a certain hour in the morning. While normally you'd expect the penalty for a rule like this to be a simple ticket or fine, the actual punishments you will find range from [[DisproportionateRetribution immediate jailtime]] at ''minimum'' to [[FelonyMisdemeanor summary execution]] at most. Narratively speaking, the authorities can say that [[FelonyMisdemeanor someone is a rebel just for being about]]; it also means [[DestructiveSavior characters can fight in major urban areas]] [[ConvenientlyEmptyBuildings without risking innocent lives]].

* ''Rebel Music'' from Music/BobMarley's ''Music/NattyDread'' tells the story about a man being arrested by the police after ''three o'clock'' at night during curfew and taken in custody for possession of marihuana.

-->They're bound to get you.
-->'Cause they got a curfew.
-->And you go to the Starkville City jail

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', Gosalyn is sent to the future, where the Gosalyn-less Darkwing has become a vicious dictator called Darkwarrior who does this. Gosalyn even notes "Only my dad would set a universal curfew at 8 o'clock."

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': When Doflamingo took over the island of Dressrosa and made it his headquarters 10 years prior to the current storyline, he installed a curfew on the citizens that forbade anyone form being out after 12pm. The reason was because he and his crew specialized in underground BlackMarket trade of various illegal goods ranging from common weapons to rare Devil Fruits, all of which was kept hidden from the populace in order to maintain his false image as a benevolent ruler.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': When Doflamingo took over the island of Dressrosa and made it his headquarters 10 years prior to the current storyline, he installed a curfew on the citizens that forbade anyone form being out after 12pm. The reason was because he and his crew specialized in underground BlackMarket trade of various illegal goods ranging from common weapons to rare Devil Fruits, all of which was kept hidden from the populace in order to maintain is false image as a benevolent ruler.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': When Doflamingo took over the island of Dressrosa and made it his headquarters 10 years prior to the current storyline, he installed a curfew on the citizens that forbade anyone form being out after 12pm. The reason was because he and his crew specialized in underground BlackMarket trade of various illegal goods ranging from common weapons to the rare Devil Fruits, all of which was kept hidden from the populace in order to maintain is false image as a benevolent ruler.

* Dressrosa in ''Manga/OnePiece'' had a curfew implemented when Doflamingo usurped the throne 10 years ago. The exact reason is not known yet, but it seems to be related to another law that forbids humans and LivingToys to enter each others' houses, so it may be more than just a strict law....

* In ''Literature/{{Rant}}'', the population ][UrbanSegregation is divided]] into "daytimers" and "nighttimers". Each category is only allowed to be outside their home during their specified half of a 24-hour day (switchover is at 8am and 8pm) unless they have permission for such reasons as work. This is enforced by police.

* Apparently, ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' has one where people aren't allowed on the streets at certain times (though this was only shown in "[[Recap/PokemonS1E20GhostOfMaidensPeak The Ghost of Maiden's Peak]]"). It was because of this that an [[OutOfCharacterMoment uncharacteristically strict]] Nurse Joy wouldn't let Ash go out and save Brock from the Maiden's ghost.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': A citywide curfew is enacted for all civilians between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M., during which the [[DomedHometown Great Barrier]] deactivates and allows monsters into the city streets. During this curfew, only the {{magical girl}}s tasked with defending the city from these monsters are permitted to be outside.

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS39E2FluxChapterTwoWarOfTheSontarans War of the Sontarans]]", Dan Lewis finally makes it back home, but the neighbours refuse to come out and talk to him. He finds out why when a squad of Sontarans [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy try to shoot him]] as a Curfew defier. Turns out Earth was invaded while he was away.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E5RiseOfTheCybermen Rise of the Cybermen]]" shows a curfew in the parallel world, but no indication that there's anything wrong with the government.

* ''Literature/ChrysalisRinoZ'': There's no specific curfew in the Colony, but Anthony's admonishments for the workaholic ants to get eight hours of sleep a day eventually lead to the formation of a secret police force, tracking everyone's torpor time and appearing out of the shadows to knock offenders out with special pheromones and drag them away to the cells for rest. Serious breaches might even result in carapace waxing and aromatherapy!

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Dictatorial regimes have in fact been known to do this. [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany The Nazis]] did this during the occupation of Continental Europe. UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet is said to have enforced his curfew with snipers. Mubarak tried it in Egypt. It was quite ignored indeed.
** Not only dictators, the American soldiers did it in Iraq, too. Curfews are an effective countermeasure against insurgencies or when you're expecting trouble. Not only is there the implication that people ''not'' following the curfew must be Up To Something, but it can also help to ensure that innocents are out of the way if and when trouble happens.
* The United States has areas that employ age-based curfews, depending on what city or state you're located in.
** On the state level, the laws for new drivers under 18 often include a curfew, usually 11 PM or midnight. Though there are exceptions made for those driving because of emergencies, school/religious functions, or because they are licensed [=EMTs=]. There's also an exemption for kids who have jobs, as long as they get their parent(s) and boss to sign a waiver.
** In some larger U.S. cities, curfews exist for anyone under 18 outside at night[[note]]usually defined as 30-60 minutes after sundown[[/note]] without adult supervision, implemented mainly to combat gang activity or drug dealing.
* This was actually a historical and very grim way racial segregation was enforced in the US. A "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundown_town sundown town]]" was one in which non-ethnic-Europeans would be assaulted and/or killed if found there at night. Non-Europeans could not buy land in these communities, and being caught in them after dark could lead to harassment, expulsion, or even lynching, sometimes at the hands of local law enforcement. This phenomenon was not limited to Southern white-on-black oppression - the technique was used against blacks, Native Americans, Jews, and Chinese minorities. The state with the most confirmed cases of the phenomenon was actually Illinois. And after that, it was a tie between Maine and Ohio.
* There was a similar thing in the towns of UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in apartheid times. At 6 PM (18:00), a bell rang in the city hall, meaning it was time for the blacks to leave for their residences in the suburbs. Reportedly some whites liked chasing and hunting those unhappy blacks which were too late to leave. [[CarFu With automobiles.]] And if they would run 'em over, most likely they [[KarmaHoudini would get away with that.]] Mind you, this was only one of the many reasons to dislike the "apartheid" regime.
* Some shopping malls have "[[AccidentalInnuendo escort policies]]", meaning minors cannot be present without adults after the posted time.
* One noteworthy RealLife example occurred during the Jewish rebellion against British rule in the League of Nations Mandate of Palestine in 1947: in an effort to regain control, the British authorities imposed a [[UpToEleven 24-hour curfew]], meaning that Jews were simply not allowed to go outside at all. This still didn't work.
* Back during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis Sinai War,]] Israel established a curfew on the Arab areas in Israel, under [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel#1949.E2.80.931966 the martial law in effect in those areas]] after the [[UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict War of 1948.]] The Israeli Border Police were ordered to open fire on people who violated the curfew; while in most places the order was not followed, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafr_Qasim_massacre it was notoriously followed through in Kafr Qasim.]]
* Shortly before the American Revolution broke out, the British colonial government imposed martial law on the ever rebellious city of Boston. This was pretty much the last straw for Bostonians because that fabled "shot heard 'round the world" would be fired soon afterward.
* In Turkey, a 24-hour curfew took place every five years, in order for the census to be done. It was a case of curfew being done not out of authoritarianism but simply lack of technology, and most Turkish people treated it as a day off. Because nobody expected trouble, the worst you could expect if caught violating curfew was detainment for the rest of the day. Once the system was computerized, the whole curfew method of performing census was done away with.
* During the Second Intifada and even beforehand, the IDF would often enforce curfews during military activity.
* While not quite the same, the effect of the concept known in German as ''Sperrstunde'' is similar. It dictates an hour after which bars (and in some cases discos) have to be closed. Nothing is keeping you from being out and about after this hour, but you really don't have any place to go. Most German cities have greatly reduced the effect of this rule by creating more and more exceptions or gotten rid of it altogether. Some have a nominal one where e.g. fast-food restaurants have to close for an hour ("cleaning hour") before they can reopen. However, the whole issue still differs between each of the sixteen States of Germany.
* Similarly, certain holidays (again, depending on state law) are considered "silent," and you cannot have any type of festivity involving song and dance on those days. In practice, this means there won't be commercial parties, but private parties will only get into problems if they have excessive noise. As all of those holidays are religious and it is worded as a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_ban#Legal_bans "dancing ban,"]] atheist, secular and civil liberties groups have taken to holding dance-ins on those days.
* During the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_French_riots 2005 riots in French banlieues]], curfews were enforced in these zones.
* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, many governments instituted local or national lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus. In some places where lockdowns measures have been eased, there are still curfews. Opponents of such measures argue this trope to be in effect and vehemently oppose them.
* Curfews are regularly implemented in the event of a community being struck by a natural disaster like a wild fire or hurricane. This is not only to prevent looting from taking place, but also to insure that the roads are clear for emergency personnel so they can get to where they're needed without delays.
* It's not all that uncommon for individual families to place curfews on children living at home who have (or know someone who has) access to their own transportation, either to ensure that they can get to bed in time to ensure that they have a decent night's sleep for the next day, or to keep them from getting into mischief after they've finished doing whatever they were officially going out to do.
* In an attempt to curb video game addiction, South Korea has a "Shutdown law" which prevents kids under the age of 16 from playing online video games between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00, though their parents can exempt them from the law. China passed a similar law in 2019 limiting kids under 18 to less than 90 minutes of playing video games on weekdays and three hours on weekends, with no video game playing allowed between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m, and also limiting the amount of money they can spend on games per month.
[[/folder]]

Has nothing to do with the ''anti-fascist'' slogan "Good Night, White Pride".

* There was a similar thing in the towns of UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica in apartheid times. At 6 PM (18:00) a bell rang in the city hall, meaning it was time for the blacks to leave for their residence in suburbs. Reportedly some whites liked chasing and hunting those unhappy blacks which were too late to leave. [[CarFu With automobiles.]] And if they would run 'em over, most likely they would get away with that. Mind you, this was only one of the many reasons to dislike the "apartheid" regime.