Samoa PM apologises after Nazi salute video emerges

What the report says

Samoa’s Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt has apologized after a short video surfaced showing him making a Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler” during a family gathering. According to Al Jazeera, the clip dates to July 2007 and was published over the weekend by the Samoa Observer before Schmidt responded on Monday. The footage reportedly shows him at a reunion on the island of Savai‘i, where he was then a member of parliament and deputy speaker of parliament, leading a call-and-response before asking people to raise their right hands and repeat the phrase.

Schmidt said the gesture and words were wrong regardless of intent and could offend people. He rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism and political extremism, and said the incident did not reflect his own beliefs or the values of Samoa’s government and people. Radio New Zealand said it had independently checked the video through its Samoa correspondent, and the Samoa Observer cited academics who described the material as disturbing and called for an explanation and apology.

The episode has attracted added attention because Schmidt, who became prime minister in 2025, has recently voiced strong support for Israel. Al Jazeera noted that he wore a Jewish prayer shawl at his swearing-in and has pledged to open a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem by the end of 2026. Schmidt said he considered the matter settled and would turn his focus to Samoa’s economic and social challenges.