Just in: German director smears dog shit on FAZ journalist

Sensitive souls at Hanover State Opera are struggling to save the career of its embattled ballet chief Marco Goecke after he was seen throwing dog-poo at a critic from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The critic Wiebke Hüster (pictured) had written of a new Goecke production that the audience was alternately ‘maddened and murdered by boredom’.

Hanover State Opera has issued the following statement: ‘At the premiere of Faith – Love – Hope, During the first break in the foyer, there was an incident between ballet director Marco Goecke and a critic of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in which her personal integrity was violated.

‘The Hanover State Opera very much regrets that the escalation has occurred. Director Laura Berman: ‘We contacted the journalist immediately after the incident and apologized to her personally and publicly. The Hanover State Opera is an open place of respectful cooperation and exchange. We believe that calm and care are now required. We will examine the employment law steps against ballet director Marco Goecke, advise them together and then act on this internal personnel matter. We deeply regret that our audience was disturbed by this incident.’