Samoan Prime Minister Apologizes for 2007 Nazi Gesture and Remarks

Samoa’s Prime Minister Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt issued an apology on Monday for a 19-year-old video in which he can be seen and heard saying “Heil Hitler” and making a Nazi gesture. The statement followed the Samoa Observer newspaper’s publication of a seven-second clip, reportedly filmed at a family reunion in July 2007.

Schmidt, who served as the deputy speaker of Samoa's Parliament at the time of the video, acknowledged the words and gesture were inappropriate and potentially hurtful. “I apologise for using them,” he stated, emphasizing that the video was taken at a private family gathering and was not intended for public viewing. He also explicitly rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and all forms of political extremism.

The Samoa Observer noted that the immediate context surrounding the captured moment in the video is unknown, and Schmidt’s statement did not provide further details.

Schmidt, who has led the South Pacific island nation since winning an August 2025 election, has recently been at odds with the Samoa Observer. The newspaper and other Pacific media groups have criticized his administration for barring the Observer from covering government news conferences and events since November. This ban followed Schmidt’s accusations of misleading coverage by the newspaper.

In a separate incident Friday, Schmidt confirmed that an aide had deleted photos of him taken by an Observer reporter during an official event. Schmidt defended this action, asserting the newspaper was violating a prohibition against its coverage. The Journalists Association of Samoa has expressed deep concern over the photo deletion, and Pacific media organizations have called for the ban to be reversed, describing it as "authoritarian."

Prime Minister Schmidt has previously expressed strong support for Israel. This stance aligns with a number of leaders in the South Pacific island nations who, influenced by deep Christian traditions, have voiced support for Israel. In September 2025, Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl during his swearing-in ceremony, which included the blowing of a shofar. At the time, he stated, “Samoa will not withdraw from supporting Israel as the country of God’s people,” according to local news outlets.