A group of around 40 people, dressed as Santa Claus and accompanied by masked elves, broke into a supermarket in Montreal, Canada, and took thousands of Canadian dollars worth of food.
The action, which took place last Monday (15), was a protest against the rising cost of living, which has made access to basic items difficult for many people.
The group, called Robins des Ruelles, released a note called “When hunger justifies the means”, saying that large supermarket chains are profiting from inflation while the population struggles to buy food.
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“There’s no other way to say it: a handful of companies are holding our basic needs hostage,” they say. “Don’t forget: hunger justifies the means. Merry Christmas!”, concludes the group in its note.
The Metro chain, owner of eight supermarket brands in Ontario and Quebec, condemned the robbery and classified the act as a crime.
The company explained that the increase in prices is related to problems in the global supply chain, variation in commodity prices and the increase in retail crime, which caused losses of more than US$9 billion in 2024, according to the Retail Council of Canada.
Local police said they are investigating the case, but so far no one has been arrested.
Some of the stolen food was left in a public square, at the foot of a Christmas tree, to be distributed to needy families. The remainder will be delivered by community food banks.
