A Russian cellist has been fired by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra after verbally harassing a female passenger on a high-speed train last week.
The orchestra made the announcement on its website on Tuesday. It said, "His conduct has severely damaged the orchestra's reputation. We have decided to fire him in accordance with orchestra regulations and the terms of his employment contract."
The incident occurred on a train travelling from Shenyang to Beijing on May 14. In the clip, the cellist can be seen bothering a female passenger and later insulting her in fluent Chinese. When the video was uploaded to the internet, it sparked heated online debate. The cellist posted a video online last week, apologizing for his conduct. But that was apparently not enough to save his job.
Beijing Symphony Announcement also said, "His conduct has severely damaged the orchestra's reputation. We have decided to fire him in accordance with orchestra regulations and the terms of his employment contract."