Drunken Santas Go On Rampage In New Zealand City

[Pete_C]

Hope Marty is okay down there with all this hooliganism.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW...N=ENTERTAINMENT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A group of 40 people dressed in Santa Claus costumes, many of them drunk, rampaged through New Zealand's largest city, robbing stores and assaulting security guards, 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 Auckland overpass, said Auckland Central Police spokeswoman 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 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, Hegarty said.

The remaining Santas entered a 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.

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

Three people were arrested and charged with drunkenness and disorderly behavior.

[JDoors]

[martymas]

yes pete i saw the article

on tv

they have been around for some years

protesting the commercialising of

xmas .

and to an extent i agree

but to vandilise

is another whole ball game

big bizness has taken over our xmas

with their marketing.

and all the why you should buy .

im not sure what it is like in other parts of the world

but here

it is a householders nightmare

so much for xmas

im ok where i live .

welligton

is a city of

many foreign cultures

and so it is so diverse

merry xmas

marty.

.

[bozodog]

That's a crummy excuse for a drunkin' party...