Police in a Canadian city had to deal with some odd calls from residents who were a bit upset about an apparent "grinch" in town, the BBC reports. Complaints came in to the Brantford, Ontario, police department regarding signs posted in a house window along the route of the city's annual Santa Claus parade reading, "Santa is fake," "Your parents are Santa," "Santa isn't real," and "Your family buys your presents." Saturday's parade drew a crowd of about 30,000 people this year, the CBC reports.
"While it isn't illegal to be a 'Grinch', we do encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of the season and help foster a positive, welcoming community, especially during events like the Santa Claus Parade," a police spokesperson said. Authorities said that while the signs, posted on private property, were not illegal under Canadian free speech laws, there were enough complaints that police asked the person responsible to remove them, and they have since been taken down.
Reactions to the signs and the subsequent police response were mixed. Some social media users described the display as "absolutely disgusting," while others were more surprised that anyone would call the police over the matter. The incident is not the first time holiday spoilers have drawn law enforcement attention. In 2018, a protester in Texas who told children Santa was not real was arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave church property.
And in 1979, a Vietnam veteran named Richard Dildy was arrested in Toronto and charged with causing a disturbance after protesting at a busy intersection with a sign reading, "Santa Claus must be exposed as a fake!" Dildy, who was labeled a "grinch" by local media at the time, defended his actions, saying he simply wanted people to stop lying to their children.
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