Samoa prime minister apologises after 2007 Nazi salute video emerges
Samoa's prime minister has apologised after a video surfaced showing him giving a Nazi salute and saying "Heil Hitler" at a family gathering in 2007. The seven-second clip shows Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt leading about a dozen people in the gesture. The footage was first reported by a local newspaper and has triggered a political controversy around the country's leader.
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Schmidt said the words and gesture were "inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt". He said the clip was recorded at a private gathering and was "not intended for the public". In a statement published on Facebook, he also said: "I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism." The video was filmed in July 2007, when he was deputy speaker of parliament.
The row is significant because it involves the sitting prime minister of a small Pacific island nation with a population of about 221,000. Schmidt took office in September 2025 as Samoa's eighth prime minister. The emergence of the footage has put his public statements and personal history under scrutiny, particularly because he has Samoan and German heritage.
The controversy also carries historical sensitivity in Samoa, which was under German control in the early 20th century before that period ended shortly after the First World War began. Schmidt has previously presented himself as supportive of Israel, including during his swearing-in ceremony when he wore a Jewish prayer shawl. He also said early in his premiership that Samoa "stood with Israel" and referred to the country as believing in "the God of Israel".
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The video was said to have been filmed at a family reunion, where a relative described Schmidt as the master of ceremonies. That detail adds to the sense that the footage was not part of an official event, but it has still prompted public attention because of the symbolism involved. The incident has now become a test of how the prime minister responds to criticism over conduct from before he entered the top office.
What remains unclear is whether the apology will be followed by any formal political consequences or further statements from his government. It is also not yet clear whether the video will lead to wider debate in parliament or among Samoa's political parties. For now, the focus is on the prime minister's response and whether the controversy fades or continues to grow.
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