The news came on Halloween, a day often marked with booze-soaked parties in Hong Kong. But the mood in the city’s rowdy night life district was noticeable muted — there were fewer decorations, a bigger security presence and more journalists.

Chanting protesters, defying the city’s ban on masks, turned out wearing the faces of government leaders like Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam or the symbolic freedom fighter Guy Fawkes. The night included multiple clashes between protesters and the police around the city. Major protests are expected on Saturday.

China’s plans: The Communist Party announced it would roll out steps to “safeguard national security” in Hong Kong. The vague language leaves plenty of guesswork about what may be coming.

See for yourself: A photographer captured jarring diptychs of the city, pairing his shots of the weekly marches with images of the normalcy on the same streets.