40 drunken Santas go on crime rampage in New Zealand's largest city

WELLINGTON, N.Z. (AP) - A group of 40 people dressed in Santa Claus outfits, many of them drunk, went on a rampage through Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, robbing stores, assaulting security guards and urinating from highway overpasses, police said Sunday.



The rampage, dubbed Santarchy by local newspapers, began early Saturday afternoon when the men, wearing ill-fitting Santa costumes, threw beer bottles and urinated on cars from an overpass, said Auckland Central Police spokesman Noreen Hegarty.



She said the men then rushed through a central city park, overturning garbage containers, throwing bottles at passing cars and spraying graffiti on office buildings.



One man climbed the mooring line of a cruise ship before being ordered down by the captain. Other Santas, objecting when the man was arrested, attacked security staff who were later treated by paramedics, Hegarty said.



The remaining Santas entered another downtown convenience store and carried off beer and soft drinks.



"They came in, said 'Merry Christmas' and then helped themselves," store owner Changa Manakynda said.



Two security guards were treated for cuts after being struck by beer bottles, Hegarty said. Three people, including the man who climbed on the cruise ship, were arrested and charged with drunkenness and disorderly behavior.



Alex Dyer, a spokesman for the group, said Santarchy is a worldwide movement designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas.



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I love people. Only drunken idiots such as these could make me this happy right now. It's honestly a shame that Darwinism will eventually weed out folks like these.

hahahahaaa! This needs to be made into a feature length film!

reminds me of the robot santa from futurama.

f(n) Escribi�:

reminds me of the robot santa from futurama.

heh, totally...



I was going to download a movie called 'Really Bad Santa', starrin Ron Jeremy as Father Christmas, for my family x-mas celebration.

toomuch'stash Escribi�:

f(n) Escribi�:

reminds me of the robot santa from futurama.

heh, totally...



I was going to download a movie called 'Really Bad Santa', starrin Ron Jeremy as Father Christmas, for my family x-mas celebration.

There are few families that would appreciate that, but yours would. X-D

Darkstarexodus Escribi�:

Alex Dyer, a spokesman for the group, said Santarchy is a worldwide movement designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas.

Good for them, I agree. Christmas is in a lot of ways just a money-making venture for companies. Bah Humbug!!

If there's one thing that ruins Christmas, it's dealing with the frantic shoppers trying to blow their credit lines at the last minute. I am soooo grateful not to be working in retail for the holidays - no more standing on my feet all day ringing people up, no more being subjected to Christmas music and no more watching people consume, consume, consume, people getting riled up over someone cutting in front of them in line, being assaulted by everything Christmas. The holidays are nice for giving and all of that, and it can be a lot of fun - stash's family is most entertaining and nothing is cooler than watching my son's face on Christmas morning. But the commercialism and hoopla surrounding the season I find to be despressing, actually.

*sighs* why do these things always happen in my homeland! 8O