Top publisher apologizes for slurs about ‘East Germans’

BERLIN (AP) — The CEO and co-owner of media company Axel Springer apologized Sunday for making crude remarks about “East Germans” in text messages leaked to a rival newspaper. German weekly Die Zeit quoted Mathias Doepfner as saying that East Germans “are either communists or fascists.” The comments prompted sharp rebukes from officials in the east and calls for Doepfner to resign. In a short article for tabloid Bild am Sonntag, Doepfner expressed regret “that I have offended, unsettled or hurt many with my words.” He said they were triggered by his anger at the large share of voters there backing far-left or far-right parties.