Samoa PM apologises after Nazi salute video emerges

A previously unseen seven-second video from 2007 showing Samoa's Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt leading a Nazi salute and saying "Heil Hitler" at a family reunion has prompted an apology from the leader. The Samoa Observer published the clip on Sunday, and Radio New Zealand said it independently verified the footage via its Samoa correspondent. The recording was made on the island of Savai‘i when Schmidt was serving as an MP and deputy speaker of parliament.

In the footage, Schmidt holds a microphone and initiates a "hip hip" exchange before asking those present to raise their right hands and say the words "Heil Hitler." About a dozen people visible in the short clip appear to follow his direction. The newspaper sought comment from academics, and historian Richard Evans described the video as "shocking and disturbing," while University of Canterbury academic Anne-Marie Brady said Schmidt should explain and apologise.

Schmidt issued a statement on Monday saying the words and gesture were inappropriate regardless of context and apologised for any offence they might cause. He said he rejects Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism, and insisted the episode does not reflect his beliefs or the values of Samoa's government and people. He said he considered the controversy addressed and would concentrate on the country's economic and social issues.

The episode arrives against a backdrop of visible gestures by Schmidt supporting Israel: at his 2025 swearing-in he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and a shofar was sounded, and he has pledged to open a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem before the end of 2026. The planned embassy move is notable because only a small number of countries have recognised Jerusalem as their embassies' location amid its disputed status.