The people behind a fresh kebab outlet in Dortmund, western Germany, were hoping for an opening day to remember. It got one, though not the kind it hoped for. To launch its outlet in the Körne district on Sunday, the owner advertised doner kebabs for one euro and an iPhone giveaway, pushing the offer hard on Instagram and TikTok. Police say up to 300 people turned up, most of them children and teenagers.
The pavement could not hold them. People spilled onto the road and climbed onto utility boxes, and tempers frayed during the long wait; one teenager told the local Ruhr Nachrichten he had been queuing since noon and still had no kebab at 3.30 p.m. With the private security team overwhelmed, the owner called the emergency line at around 2.15 p.m. and stopped the promotion.
When officers tried to clear the street, parts of the crowd turned on them. Stones, bottles, a garden chair, an electric scooter, fireworks and nitrous oxide canisters were thrown, and a patrol car was damaged. Two units of riot police were sent in, while a helicopter searched for suspects from above. One man was arrested for resisting officers and found to be carrying a blank-firing pistol. Nobody was hurt. Police have opened cases for offences ranging from rioting to damaging property.
Tim Frommeyer, who heads the city’s police force, said anyone attacking officers was not a thrill-seeking youngster but “a criminal”. City authorities temporarily shut the shop, and police are examining whether the owner can be billed for the operation.
Owner Mustafa Hilal apologised to the police and residents on Monday, telling broadcaster WDR he had planned a wild but peaceful party. He said similar one-euro events in Essen had gone smoothly, but he would not repeat one on this scale. The shop was due to reopen later that day, with the kebab back at its regular price of 9.90 euros.
