The Hannover State Opera said Thursday that it is ending its contract with ballet director Marco Goecke after he smeared dog feces on the face of a newspaper critic whose reviews he had taken exception to.

Goecke was after the Saturday attack on dance critic Wiebke Huester of German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The confrontation took place during the interval of a premiere at the opera house.

The theater鈥檚 management had called on him to apologize 鈥渃omprehensively鈥� and explain himself. Goecke later issued a statement describing his behavior as 鈥渁bsolutely unacceptable鈥� but said he had acted 鈥漣n the heat of the moment鈥� and while suffering from 鈥渘ervous strain鈥� resulting from two premieres in quick succession.

He accused Huester of writing 鈥渙ften nasty reviews.鈥�

鈥淚 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,鈥� he said.

The attack and Marco Goecke鈥檚 tepid apology were widely criticized. Hannover鈥檚 mayor, Belit Onay, said attacks on press freedom should have 鈥渘o place鈥� in the city.

The head of the opera house, Laura Berman, said its contract with Goecke would be dissolved with immediate effect by mutual agreement and that he would be permitted to access the premises for the time being.