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[center] Santas go on rampage in New Zealand's largest city [/center] <br>ASSOCIATED PRESS <br> <br>WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Dec. 17 — 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. <br><br>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. <br><br> She said the men then rushed through a central city park, overturning garbage containers, throwing bottles at passing cars and spraying graffiti on buildings. <br><br> 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. <br><br> The remaining Santas entered a downtown convenience store and carried off beer and soft drinks. <br> ''They came in, said 'Merry Christmas' and then helped themselves,'' store owner Changa Manakynda said. <br><br> Alex Dyer, a spokesman for the group, said Santarchy was a worldwide movement designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas. <br><br> Three people were arrested and charged with drunkenness and disorderly behavior.
_________________ “The person who stands up and says, 'This is stupid,' either is asked to behave or, worse, is greeted with a cheerful 'Yes, we know! Isn't it terrific!" -Frank Zappa
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