Samoa leader apologises for Nazi salute after video from 2007 emerges

What the report says

Samoa Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt has apologised after a video surfaced showing him giving a Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler” at a family gathering. According to the BBC, the seven-second clip was filmed in July 2007 and shows Schmidt leading a group in the gesture. He later said the actions were inappropriate and could cause offence and hurt, while stressing that the footage came from a private event and was never meant for public release.

The BBC reported that Schmidt also rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism and political extremism in a statement posted on Facebook. The video was first highlighted by the Samoa Observer, which said it was recorded at a family reunion when Schmidt was serving as deputy speaker of parliament. A family member quoted by that outlet described him as the master of ceremonies at the event.

Schmidt, who has Samoan and German heritage, became Samoa’s prime minister in September 2025. The episode is politically sensitive because Nazi imagery and language are widely associated with antisemitism and mass atrocity, and public figures often face scrutiny when old footage or remarks resurface. Samoa is a small Pacific island nation with historical ties to Germany, although the BBC noted that German colonial rule ended after World War One.