German ballet director apologizes for dog-poop attack on critic
A German ballet director who smeared dog poop on a critic’s face after receiving a bad review has apologized.
Marco Goecke was suspended after confronting Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung dance critic Wiebke Huester at the Hanover Theater on Saturday about a bad review of hers. Goecke had taken out a bag containing dog poop and smeared it in Huester’s face before running away.
Hanover State Opera said Goecke would need to apologize “comprehensively” for the incident before it would consider reinstating him.
Goecke made a public apology on Tuesday.
“I would like to apologize sincerely to all concerned, first and foremost to Ms. Huester, for my absolutely unacceptable act,” the director said in a statement. “In retrospect, I am clearly aware that this was a disgraceful act in the heat of the moment and an overreaction.”
He blamed his sickening outburst on stress.
“I apologize for the fact that I finally blew my top, but I also ask for a certain understanding at least for the reasons why this happened,” he wrote, referring to other shows premiering in quick succession.
He added that his dog had pooped earlier and he had been carrying around the bag before disposing of it.
But he called for a reckoning, saying media should “rethink a certain form of destructive and hurtful reporting that damages the whole cultural sector.
He also criticized Huester for what he said were “often nasty reviews.”
Goecke is being investigated for suspicion of bodily harm and slander after the victim filed a criminal complaint.
She was asked about the apology Tuesday on 3sat television.
“What kind of an apology is this supposed to be?” she asked.
With News Wire Services
