Thieves dressed as Santa Claus, elves rob Montreal grocery store in protest of rising food prices

Dozens of people dressed as Santa Claus and elves shoplifted roughly $3,000 worth of food from a Montreal grocery store in an act of political protest regarding food affordability.

The group behind the theft, Robin des Ruelles, which translates to “Robins of the Alleys,” claimed responsibility for the Robin Hood-inspired action. In a social media post, the group said several individuals dressed as Santa, along with about 40 masked “accomplices in elf costumes,” entered a Metro grocery store and stole food with the intention of distributing it to people in need across the city.

A spokesperson for Montreal police said authorities are reviewing surveillance footage and videos posted on social media, but no arrests had been made as of Thursday, according to CityNews Toronto. Videos of the incident quickly went viral online, with the group framing the theft as a political call to action. Another activist organization circulated a statement titled “When hunger justifies the means.”

The group criticized major grocery chains, arguing that inflation has made food unaffordable for many Canadians.

“We are working more and more just to be able to buy food from supermarket chains that take advantage of inflation as a pretext to make record profits,” the group stated. “There is no other way to put it: a handful of companies are holding our basic needs hostage.”

Metro responded with a statement disputing this characterization, saying food inflation is driven by multiple factors throughout the supply chain. The company also noted it donated more than $1 million in 2025 and provided over $81 million worth of food products to food banks.

“It should be noted that as a retailer, we are the final stop in the supply chain,” said spokesperson Geneviève Grégoire, per the outlet. “The prices on store shelves directly reflect the costs of the supply chain.”