Santas and elves in Canada steal groceries to give to the needy

A group of Santas and elves may be on both the naughty and nice lists this Christmas – they stole groceries from a supermarket in Canada to give to the needy.

An activist group claimed responsibility for the Dec 15 night Robin Hood act, saying that it was to highlight the cost-of-living crisis.

Several people dressed up in the distinctive red suits complete with bushy white beards and elves’ hats took items worth C$3,000 (S$2,810) from a supermarket in Montreal.

Three days later, a group calling themselves Robins des ruelles, or Robins of the Alleys, in reference to the English folklore hero who steals from the rich to give to the poor, claimed responsibility for the heist.

They justified their actions by saying that more people are struggling to buy food, claiming that supermarkets are using inflation to make record profits.

“A handful of corporations are holding our basic needs hostage. They continue to stifle the population, siphoning off as much money as possible, simply because they can. For us, that’s theft, and they are the real criminals,” the group said in a statement posted on the Instagram page of an activist group called Les soulevements du fleuve (The River’s Uprisings).

Police investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Canada’s consumer price index for November 2025 showed grocery inflation has reached its highest rate in nearly two years – while overall inflation is at 2.2 per cent, the price of food bought from stores had increased to 4.7 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Metro, the supermarket chain that was targeted by the thieves, said in a statement to American news outlet CNN that retail crime is “unacceptable”, whatever the stated motive.

“Many factors influence food inflation, including disruptions in the global supply chain, volatility in commodity prices, changes in international trade conditions, and retail crime,” Ms Genevieve Gregoire said. “The prices on store shelves directly reflect the costs of the supply chain.”

The perpetrators were unrepentant.

They said the stolen items were left under a tree in a Montreal neighbourhood and distributed to community fridges.

“Don’t forget – the hunger justifies the means,” they said on Instagram. “Merry Christmas!”