Masked Group Robs Montreal Supermarket Dressed as Santas and Elves to Protest Cost-of-Living Crisis
About 40 members of the group Robins des Ruelles (Robins of the Alleys), dressed as Santa and elf-masked robbers, carried out a robbery at a Montreal supermarket late Monday. They stole thousands of dollars’ worth of groceries and fled the scene. The group stated that the stolen groceries would be distributed to the needy as part of a protest against the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
In their statement, Robins des Ruelles described the act as a response to inflation and growing food insecurity. They argued that profits made during inflation hurt ordinary people and criticized a handful of companies for inflating prices and holding basic needs hostage. Contextually, three companies control most of Canada’s grocery stores, with profits near record levels though profit margins have shrunk.
Police are investigating the theft but had not announced any arrests at the time of the report. Metro, which owns eight major grocery brands in Ontario and Quebec and was the supermarket targeted, condemned the act as criminal. They attributed recent price increases to supply-chain disruptions, commodity-price volatility, and changes in international trade. Metro reported that in 2025, it donated $1.15 million and provided over $81 million in food products to food banks.
The Retail Council of Canada noted that retail crime is rising and accounted for more than $9 billion in lost sales in 2024. Following the robbery, some stolen groceries were deposited in a public square beneath a Christmas tree on Tuesday evening, with the remainder intended for distribution through community food banks.
