Activists claim responsibility for Robin Hood-inspired grocery robbery in Montreal
Posted February 4, 2026 11:48 am.
Last Updated February 4, 2026 3:50 pm.
MONTREAL — A group of activists say they have robbed a Montreal grocery store in what they describe as a Robin Hood-inspired political act targeting corporate grocery interests.
A group called Robin des Ruelles — Robin of the alleys — say about 60 individuals wearing masks and feathers in their hats stole thousands of dollars of food from a Rachelle-Bery store on Tuesday evening.
They say the food was delivered to community fridges in the city and some was left in front of a subsidized housing building in the Hochelaga neighbourhood.
“When having two jobs no longer allows you to even feed yourself, house yourself and take care of your family, all means become legitimate. We have decided to resist against a system that is corrupt and to encourage all those who are disgusted, like us, to do the same,” the group wrote in a press release.
The group posted to social media about the robbery.
Photos released by the group show three people dressed in black entering a building, passing graffiti that read “Steal a thief,” while another photo shows green and red gift bags in the snow, under a poster advertising free food.
The Robin des Ruelles criticized Sobeys, the grocery store owner, as well as its parent company, Empire Company Limited, and its president and CEO, Pierre St-Laurent.
“Becoming a Robin Hood of the backstreets is simple: it means refusing to let a handful of CEOs continue to get rich at our expense while the rest of the population struggles to feed itself,” the group denounced.
The Sobeys supermarket chain did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The same group took responsibility for a previous incident in December, in which individuals dressed as Santa and elves allegedly robbed a different store in what they described as an effort to denounce rising food prices.
A Montreal police spokesperson confirmed the force was investigating theft and graffiti at a grocery store on Boul. St-Laurent that was allegedly committed by masked individuals around 8:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Officer Jean-Pierre Brabant indicated that there were no injuries and that police were reviewing security camera footage and interviewing witnesses in order to find the thieves.
He specified that no arrests had taken place related to this incident – or the one in December.
