Santa signs spark grinch accusations and police calls in Canada
Police in a Canadian city are reminding the public that being a “grump” may be frowned upon, but not illegal, after receiving calls about anti-Santa signs.
The signs appeared in the window of a home along the Santa Claus parade route this weekend in Brantford, 103 kilometers (64 miles) west of Toronto. It read: “Santa Claus is fake” and “Your parents are Santa Claus,” images posted on social media showed.
Police said they received “a few calls from upset residents” about the signs, and the person responsible was asked to remove them.
They added that while the signs are not illegal, it is encouraging to enjoy the holiday season.
“While it is not illegal to be a ‘Grinch,’ we encourage everyone to embrace the holiday spirit and help create a positive and welcoming community, especially during events like the Santa Claus Parade,” a police spokesperson said.
An image shared on social media showed four colorful signs displayed on a window, two of which had black marker writing reading: “Santa is not real” and “Your family buys your presents.”
Police said the signs were not illegal due to free speech laws and because they were posted on private property, Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported.
Some shared their dismay at the display on social media. In a Facebook comment, one person called it “absolutely disgusting.”
Others, however, questioned the outrage. “I can’t believe someone actually called the police on this,” another user wrote.
The traditional Santa Claus parade takes place every year in Brantford. This year, it attracted about 30,000 people – a typical attendance for a holiday event, local media report.
These signs aren’t the first time police have been called to deal with a holiday mess. In 2018, Texas police arrested a protester who told children Santa didn’t exist outside a church in Cleburne.
He was charged with criminal trespass for refusing to leave the premises.
Scott Cain, then mayor of Cleburne, insisted that his city “loves Santa Claus.”
“I hope these protesters know that they are probably going to get a big lump of coal instead of being on the nice list,” he added.
Decades earlier, a Vietnam veteran named Richard Dildy was arrested in 1979 and charged with disorderly conduct after protesting outside a downtown Toronto shopping mall.
Photos showed him carrying a sign reading: “Down with Santa!”
He was called “grumpy” in a local newspaper the next day, according to a Toronto Today article. But he was not moved.
“All I was saying is people need to stop lying to their kids,” he told the Toronto Star.
