Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

This mayor has shocked visitors at a garden fete by bringing a topless female councillor body-painted as a unicorn with a horn on her head as the city’s official mascot.

The ‘unicorn’, who was actually a councilwoman in disguise, is reportedly furious at the mayor because he revealed her identity. She said that everyone now knows what she looks like naked and that it had been agreed that her identity would be kept a secret.

The incident happened at a garden show in Schorndorf, a city in the south-western German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, which 16 municipalities took part in.

Pictures Credit: CEN

Each municipality brought their own mascot to the show, but Mayor Richard Arnold, the Christian-Democratic mayor of Schwaebisch Gmuend, took the idea to a whole new level.

He was seen walking on stage hand-in-hand with a bare-breasted woman whose body was painted silver, blue and purple with a huge horn stuck on her head.

Meanwhile, other cities came with old-fashioned mascots dressed up in typical animal suits.

Reactions to the nude unicorn woman were mixed. PM of Baden-Wuerttemberg Winfried Kretschmann, who also appeared at the high-profile garden show, said: “One person finds it humorous, the other one interesting, the next one trendy, and others stupid.”

PM Kretschmann said that “we are in a free society” when he was asked for his opinion.

Despite standing next to the bare-breasted mascot at the show, the mayor said he did not speak to her as “you cannot talk to unicorns”.

Mayor Arnold told attendees that the bare-breasted woman is 37-year-old official Cynthia Schneider, who sits on the city council of Schwaebisch Gmuend for the far-left party ‘Die Linke’.

Mayor Arnold’s spokesman Markus Herrmann said: “Ms. Schneider was not chosen for the event because she is a councillor, but because she is a body paint model.

“Of course, we wouldn’t promote a left-wing councilwoman.”

Meanwhile, Schneider, who is reportedly in a same-sex marriage, reacted angrily when she heard that the mayor had shared her identity.

She said that everyone now knows what she looks like naked and that it was agreed that her identity would be kept a secret.

Schneider said: “I will continue to fight and hold my own. I do not want to say any more about it.”

Mayor Arnold apologised about the incident: “If it has led to Ms. Schneider coming under pressure as a councillor and as a person, then I’m sorry.”

According to the mayor’s spokesman, the row will not spell the end of the bare-breasted unicorn as the city’s mascot.