Santa, elves suspected in Robin Hood-inspired Montreal grocery theft

In what activists have described as a Robin Hood-inspired theft at a Montreal grocery store this week, several dozen people dressed as Santa and elves allegedly shoplifted thousands of dollars worth of food in an effort to denounce rising prices.

A group called Robins des Ruelles – Robins of the alleys – has claimed responsibility for the stunt, saying in a statement on social media that several Santas and about 40 masked “accomplices in elf costumes” entered a Metro grocery store on Laurier Avenue on Monday evening and stole items worth $3,000. The group said it planned to distribute the loot to needy Montrealers.