Dortmund police attacked as crowd storms kebab shop for €1 doner

Hundreds of people crowded a newly opened kebab shop in Dortmund, Germany, to take advantage of a €1 doner offer, overwhelming private security and prompting the owner to call police. The incident matters both because officers were attacked during the disorder and because the doner’s rising price has become a visible symbol of inflation in Germany.

The owner estimated that about 1,000 people attended, while police put the crowd at around 300. Officers faced bottles, stones, fireworks and other objects; roughly 100 officers and a helicopter were deployed, and several people were arrested. A doner now typically costs €7.50 to €9, compared with €3.50 to €4 before about 2020, and is served more than 1.3 billion times a year in Germany. The owner said he would donate the kebabs left over to a local homeless charity.