Samoa PM apologizes for 2007 Nazi salute video

Samoan Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt has issued an apology following the emergence of a video from 2007 showing him performing a Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler”. The seven-second clip, which was first published by the Samoa Observer, depicts Schmidt leading a group of approximately a dozen people in the gesture and slogan during a private family reunion on the island of Savai‘i.

At the time the footage was recorded, Schmidt was serving as the deputy speaker of Parliament. In a formal statement, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the words and gestures were “inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt,” though he noted the event was a private gathering not intended for the public. He stated, “I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism,” emphasizing that the incident does not reflect his personal beliefs or the values of the Samoan government.

The controversy arises amid ongoing tension between the Prime Minister and the Samoa Observer, which Schmidt previously banned from government press conferences, labeling the outlet’s reporting as “unfair.”