Samoa PM Apologizes After Old Video Shows Him Leading Nazi Salute at Family Event

Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt has issued a public apology after a previously unreleased video surfaced showing him performing a Nazi salute and shouting "Heil Hitler" during a family gathering nearly two decades ago. The apology, delivered on Monday, came one day after the Samoa Observer, a local newspaper, published the seven-second clip, which quickly drew attention across the Pacific island nation and beyond.

According to the source reporting, the footage was captured in July 2007 on the island of Savai'i during a Schmidt family reunion. At the time, Schmidt was serving as a member of parliament and held the position of deputy speaker. The video shows him holding a microphone and leading a call-and-response "hip hip" chant with those gathered around him, before instructing them to raise their right hands and say "Heil Hitler." Roughly a dozen people visible in the clip appear to follow his lead.

Radio New Zealand reported that it independently verified the footage through its correspondent based in Samoa, adding a layer of journalistic confirmation to the video's authenticity before the prime minister's response.

In his statement Monday, Schmidt acknowledged that the words and gesture were inappropriate regardless of what was intended at the family gathering, and he apologized for any offense they could cause. He went further, stating, "I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism." He also emphasized that the episode did not reflect his personal beliefs or the values held by Samoa's government and its people.

The apology followed sharp criticism from academics who were contacted by the Samoa Observer for comment on the video. Richard Evans, a historian known for his scholarship on Nazi Germany, described the footage by email as "shocking and disturbing." The newspaper also quoted Anne-Marie Brady, an academic at the University of Canterbury, who said Schmidt should explain the incident and issue an apology. Their reactions underscore how seriously such imagery is viewed by scholars of the era, particularly when it involves a sitting head of government.

The timing of the video's emergence is notable given Schmidt's recent political trajectory. He became prime minister in 2025, and since taking office has made unusually strong public expressions of support for Israel compared with many other world leaders. During his swearing-in ceremony, he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and a shofar—a horn used in Jewish religious ceremonies—was sounded, gestures that signaled a close identification with Jewish religious tradition and with Israel.

Schmidt has also pledged that Samoa will open an embassy in Jerusalem before the end of 2026. That commitment places the small Pacific nation among only a handful of countries that have taken such a step, a move that is highly contentious internationally because of Jerusalem's disputed status and because Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. The decision to locate an embassy there carries significant diplomatic weight and has been avoided by most nations seeking to preserve a neutral position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In his Monday remarks, Schmidt said he considered the controversy addressed and indicated he intended to turn his attention to the country's economic and social challenges. That framing suggests he hopes the apology will close the matter rather than extend it, though the reaction from historians and the public may determine whether the issue fades or continues to draw scrutiny.

For a prime minister who has aligned himself so visibly with Jewish causes and Israel, the resurfacing of a Nazi salute presents a particularly awkward contradiction. Schmidt's swift rejection of Nazism, antisemitism, racism and political extremism appears aimed at drawing a clear line between the 2007 incident and his current public identity. Still, the episode raises questions about how past actions, even at private family gatherings, can resurface years later with new political meaning once someone reaches the highest office.

The fact that the video remained unseen for nearly 19 years before being published by a local newspaper also highlights the role of media scrutiny in the digital age. Clips from private events can now be stored, shared, and eventually verified by international outlets such as Radio New Zealand, making it difficult for public figures to fully outrun their pasts. The Samoa Observer's decision to contact historians before publishing gave the story an additional dimension, framing it not just as a political embarrassment but as a matter for historical and moral judgment.

Schmidt's apology did not detail what he intended at the 2007 gathering, nor did it offer a specific explanation for why he led the chant. He instead focused on the inappropriateness of the act itself and the potential offense it could cause, a strategy that acknowledges harm without delving into intent. Whether that satisfies critics, particularly those in Samoa's Jewish communities and abroad, remains to be seen.

The controversy also arrives at a delicate moment for Samoa's international standing. The planned Jerusalem embassy, slated to open before the end of 2026, had already placed the country in a small and scrutinized group of nations. The video's emergence could complicate that diplomatic effort by drawing renewed attention to the prime minister's past and by prompting questions from partners who might now view his gestures toward Israel through a different lens.

For now, Schmidt's office has indicated the matter is closed as far as he is concerned, with the government intending to focus on domestic economic and social priorities. But the apology's reception—among historians, the Samoan public, and the international community—will ultimately determine whether this nearly two-decade-old clip remains a passing controversy or becomes a lasting mark on his tenure.