Key facts
- The owner said about 1,000 people were present at the Dortmund shop's opening; police put the number at about 300.
- Officers were pelted with bottles, stones, fireworks, an electric scooter and a chair, a police spokesperson said.
- Reinforcements brought about 100 officers and a helicopter to the scene, police said.
- Several people were arrested, and one was found to have a blank-firing pistol, police said.
- Dortmund police head Tim Frommeyer said anyone who uses violence against police officers is a criminal.
- The owner said he would donate the remaining kebabs to a homeless charity in the city.
Police were called to a doner kebab shop in Dortmund, western Germany, on November 8 after hundreds of customers arrived for a one-off €1 introductory price at its opening. The owner said about 1,000 people were present, while police put the number at about 300.
The owner had advertised the €1 kebab offer in advance. The average price of a doner is usually around €7.50 to €9, up from between €3.50 and €4 until about 2020, a rise largely the result of higher energy and food costs.
The owner hired private security guards to oversee the opening, but they were quickly overwhelmed and he called police when the situation got out of hand. Officers were pelted with bottles, stones, fireworks, an electric scooter and a chair, a spokesperson said. Reinforcements were called, amounting to about 100 officers on the ground and a helicopter.
Tim Frommeyer, head of Dortmund's police, condemned the incident in a statement. "Anyone who uses violence, in this case once again against police officers, is not an adventure-seeking youth or a troublemaker, but a criminal," he said. He accused some participants of having been out to attack the police from the start, describing it as part of a pattern of behavior recently seen at rallies and demonstrations.
Several people were arrested. One was found to have a blank-firing pistol in his possession. A number of people face charges of breaching the peace, property damage and insult. Police did not say whether the shop owner would face prosecution. He said he would donate the remaining kebabs to a homeless charity in the city.