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Santa Clauses run riot in Auckland

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnn.com

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (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," 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 was a worldwide movement designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas.

Comment: Well, noble motives, seeing how commercialized Christmas has become. But being hammered and chucking beer bottles around isn't the way. But at least they get heard and made some entertaining news.

Rock on, Santarchy!

...and here I was thinking that Santa was supposed to be jolly...

Crieky! :o

Only down under would this happen. Santarchy indeed! :lol:

And to think I'm living next to it all *shouts this as thousands of Santas trash her house* HEY! THAT'S MY WHOLE COLLECTION OF TMNT DVDS! *runs after the Santas saying things not meant for innocent ears* :P

More info on the riots including the official Santarchy website.... :o

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051219/...aland_santa_dc

Forty drunken Santas rampaged through central Auckland, stealing from stores and assaulting security guards, the New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday, in a protest against the commercialization of Christmas.

Police said some of the Santas threw beer bottles, one tried to climb the mooring rope of a cruise ship and a security guard was punched during the fracas.

"They came in, said 'Merry Christmas' and then helped themselves," convenience store staff member Changa Manakynda told the Herald, which reported the Santas also attacked a Christmas tree.

The event organizer, Alex Dyer, had warned the antics would only stop when someone was arrested, said the Herald, which linked the incident to "Santarchy."

Santarchy (www.santarchy.com) and online encyclopedia wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) record protests going back around 10 years in the United States, with participants marking Christmas in anti-commercial manner involving street theater, pranks and public drunkenness.

Police said identification was a key issue as they tried to sort out which of the 40 men and women had done what.

"With a number of people dressed in the same outfit, it was difficult for any witnesses to confirm the identity of who was doing what," Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers told Reuters.

Raph's Girl note: Now excuse me...*heads off to santarchy.com* :lol:

From Santarchy.com:

Hello from Auckland, New Zealand, the international home of Santarchy!!!

Despite the moodiness on national radio over here, I assume you lot are stoked at the free publicity!

Santarchy in Auckland has been going for 6 years over here, and rather than being clueness idiots, we are hunky and sensible and it was more a case of a few bad eggs poisoning the eggnog…

There was some major misreporting and chinese whispers. Breaking bottles and urinating under a bridge, became throwing rocks at buses and urinating on cars from an overpass.

The ‘organisers’ as they were, saw little in the way of crime other than one santa attempting to board a foreign vessel by scaling 20 metres along a rope 60 feet in the air. The difficulty and motor skills involved in this task alone should be a defense in itself of being “drunk” and “disorderly”.

We expect to be fully vindicated by a documentary screening on Sky One in New Zealand on Christmas Eve.

We would certainly appreciate a little more unity and understanding between Santas and ask not to be judged on the behaviour of a few.

Lots of love,
Santa…

Raph's Girl note: So whatever happened in New Zealand was over exagerated beyond their control. Sanarchy is an org to protest against commercialism. They have Santa Con's all over the world every year and have been doing this for 12 years.

(T_T) You know how safe that makes me feel? :lol: Ah well, at least it isn't in some major place like D.C. or something

a couple of years ago a santa in brazil was attacked by angry kids and parents. the reason was they didnt like the gifts they got from the santa.