Krispy Kreme chaos: Riot police called to break up crowds after doughnut giveaway in Sydney

A riot squad was called in to disperse crowds in Australia after Krispy Kreme announced it was giving away free doughnuts.

The dessert giant announced it was celebrating its birthday by giving away boxes of Original Glazed doughnuts to people who had celebrated a birthday during lockdown, between 13 March and 13 July.

A large crowd of people ignored social distancing measures to queue outside stores in west Sydney on Monday.

New South Wales Police said they were called to several Krispy Kreme stores in Sydney to help crowd and traffic control.

Riot police were called in to disperse crowds and enforce social distancing outside the Auburn store on Parramatta Rd.

NSW Police Acting Assistance Commissioner Tony Cooke said the timing of the giveaway was “nonsensical and defies logic”.

“We have people in NSW who have lost jobs, people who have missed the opportunity to farewell their loved ones at funerals, and of course, people who have lost their lives due to Covid-19,” he said.

"Promotions like this do nothing to assist in maintaining social distancing which is vital to stopping the spread of the virus.

"Police are examining which, if any, breaches may have occurred and will take appropriate action where required."

Krispy Kreme released a statement saying health and safety was its priority.

"Krispy Kreme adheres to the current state government requirements for hygiene and social distancing to protect our employees and to allow us to continue to serve our guests in a safe and clean environment," it read.

"We encourage people visiting our stores to please adhere to signage and instructions from staff."

The company had 350,000 doughnuts to give away yesterday, but ran out of stock around 3.30pm after huge demand.

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