Police say it was "fairly average behaviour" from "an organised group of idiots."

Attack of the bad Santas!

About 40 men in ill-fitting Father Christmas costumes ran around Auckland vandalising or stealing property, and throwing bottles, police say....

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

Are they protesting, or are they just trying to get away with a crime spree?

"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," Sergeant Rogers told Reuters news agency.