City Vice on TikTok

“I was aware that I was polarizing with my video”

VP Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart was in action as a kebab vendor on Linz's main square(Bild: ZVG)

Opinions are divided over a TikTok video by Linz's VP deputy mayor Martin Hajart. He shouts from his town hall office that it is not a crime to eat a kebab. Many also see it as a provocation that he sold kebabs for one euro the day after the European Championship defeat to Turkey.

Over 65,000 people have already watched the latest video by Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart on TikTok. He first looks at a kebab bill for six euros before rushing to the window of his office in the old town hall and chanting that eating kebabs is not a crime after all. But he didn't appeal to everyone's taste.

Pouring oil on the fire
Hajart added fuel to the fire with his action on the main square yesterday. Dressed in lederhosen, he sold the Turkish national dish to his TikTok fans for one euro, just one day after the bitter European Championship defeat to Turkey.

The price of kebabs is a hot topic among young people. That's why I took it up. It was clear that I would polarize with the video.

Martin Hajart, Linzer VP-Stadtvize

"It was a coincidence, the date had been fixed for weeks. But you could also say that an action like that makes a good loser," says Hajart. However, he is well aware that he is polarizing with the video. "That was clear to me. But it's an absolute issue for young people that kebabs need to become cheaper. In Germany, Chancellor Scholz has already spoken out about this. The hefty bill shows how inflation is driving up prices," says the black city vice-chancellor.

As for his loud shouting out of the window, he says: "I did that in reference to a Tik-Tok trend. They say pyrotechnics are not a crime."

Mayor doesn't think much of the action
The mayor of Linz, Klaus Luger (SP), is less than impressed by his colleague's video campaign: "As mayor, I don't have time for such nonsense. I have a job that challenges me."