The Prime Minister of Samoa, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, has issued a public apology following the emergence of an archival video showing him performing a Nazi salute and shouting "Heil Hitler" during a gathering. The controversial seven-second clip was published by the local newspaper Samoa Observer and quickly sparked international backlash.

The footage dates back to July 2007 during a family reunion on the island of Savai‘i, at a time when Schmidt was serving as a Member of Parliament and deputy speaker. In the recording, Schmidt holds a microphone, directs attendees to raise their right hands, and leads them in chanting the Nazi slogan, with approximately a dozen people seen complying. The authenticity of the video was subsequently confirmed by Radio New Zealand.

Historians and academics described the recording as deeply disturbing, prompting Schmidt to address the scandal. In a formal statement, he conceded that the gesture and words were completely unacceptable regardless of intent, stating that he rejects Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and political extremism, and apologised for the offence caused.

The controversy stands in sharp contrast to Schmidt's political positioning, particularly his staunch alignment with the Israeli regime. Since taking office in 2025, Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl during his swearing-in ceremony and controversially pledged to relocate Samoa's diplomatic mission to Jerusalem by late 2026, backing the disputed ambitions of the Israeli regime despite broad international opposition.

Source: www.aljazeera.com