A seven-second video from 2007 has surfaced to complicate the present, as Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt — a leader who has publicly embraced Jewish symbols and pledged to open an embassy in Jerusalem — was shown leading a Nazi salute at a family gathering nearly two decades ago. He has apologized, rejected the ideologies the gesture invokes, and declared the matter closed. Yet history has a way of lingering at the edges of the present, asking whether a single moment reveals something, or merely obscures everything else.
Samoa PM apologizes for 2007 Nazi salute video amid controversy
The words and gesture were inappropriate regardless of intent
Mark
So a video from 2007 surfaces now, in 2026—why the nineteen-year gap? Did someone sit on this for nearly two decades?
Mimi
The source material doesn't explain how the video was preserved or why it emerged when it did. The Samoa Observer published it, but we don't know who provided it or what prompted the timing.
Luke
Right. That's a real gap. We know it happened, we know it's now public, but the provenance is unclear. That matters for context.
Mark
And Schmidt's response—does it feel sufficient to you?
Mimi
He rejected Nazism, antisemitism, and racism explicitly. He said the gesture was inappropriate regardless of intent. But he also moved quickly to say the matter is addressed and he's moving on.
Luke
Which is his prerogative, but it's worth noting he didn't explain what was actually happening at that gathering. Was it a joke? A dare? A genuine expression? We don't have that clarity from him.
Mark
The Israel connection is striking, though. Prayer shawl at the swearing-in, embassy pledge—it seems almost like a counter-narrative to the video.
Mimi
It does create a stark contrast. Whether that's intentional or coincidental, I can't say from the reporting. But the juxtaposition is real.
Luke
And that's the thing—we can observe the contrast, but we can't know his interior reasoning. The reporting gives us the facts of what he's done and said, not why he's done it or whether one thing is a response to the other.
Mark
Do we know how Samoans are reacting to this?
Mimi
The source material doesn't include public reaction from Samoa itself, only academic criticism from outside the country.
Luke
That's a significant absence. We have historians' views but not the views of the people Schmidt governs. That would be essential reporting to understand whether this actually threatens his political standing or whether it's contained.
The Pulse
- A local newspaper published footage of a sitting Pacific head of government performing one of history's most recognizable gestures of hatred — creating an immediate credibility crisis.
- The tension is sharpened by the stark contrast between the 2007 video and Schmidt's current public identity as a vocal supporter of Israel, who wore a Jewish prayer shawl at his own swearing-in ceremony.
- Historians and academics called the footage shocking and demanded explanation, amplifying pressure on Schmidt before he had issued any response.
- Schmidt moved quickly to apologize, rejecting Nazism, antisemitism, and extremism in all forms, while framing the 2007 moment as inconsistent with his beliefs and Samoa's values.
- Having declared the controversy resolved, Schmidt is now attempting to steer attention back toward economic and social governance — though the gap between past and present remains an open question for observers.
A seven-second video from 2007 has surfaced to complicate the present, as Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt — a leader who has publicly embraced Jewish symbols and pledged to open an embassy in Jerusalem — was shown leading a Nazi salute at a family gathering nearly two decades ago. He has apologized, rejected the ideologies the gesture invokes, and declared the matter closed. Yet history has a way of lingering at the edges of the present, asking whether a single moment reveals something, or merely obscures everything else.
Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt apologized on Monday after a local newspaper published footage from July 2007 showing him at a family reunion on Savai'i island leading a Nazi salute and saying 'Heil Hitler' into a microphone. About a dozen people in the frame appeared to comply. Radio New Zealand independently verified the footage's authenticity.
In his response, Schmidt characterized the words and gesture as inappropriate regardless of intent, and stated clearly that he rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and all forms of political extremism. The apology followed calls from academics — including historian Richard Evans, who described the footage as 'shocking and disturbing,' and University of Canterbury scholar Anne-Marie Brady, who publicly urged Schmidt to explain himself.
What gives the incident particular weight is the distance between that 2007 moment and Schmidt's current public record. Since becoming prime minister in 2025, he has made conspicuous gestures of solidarity with Israel: wearing a Jewish prayer shawl at his swearing-in, having a shofar sounded at the ceremony, and committing to open a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem before the end of 2026 — a diplomatic step taken by only a small number of nations given the city's contested status.
Schmidt has declared the matter addressed and says he intends to focus on Samoa's economic and social challenges. Whether the public and the international community accept that framing — or continue to weigh the distance between who he was and who he presents himself to be — remains an unresolved thread beneath the official closure.
Samoa's Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt apologized on Monday after a local newspaper published a seven-second video from July 2007 showing him at a family gathering leading a Nazi salute and saying "Heil Hitler." The Samoa Observer broke the story on Sunday, releasing footage recorded at a Schmidt family reunion on the island of Savai'i when he was serving as an MP and deputy speaker of parliament. In the clip, Schmidt holds a microphone and orchestrates a "hip hip" call-and-response before instructing those present to raise their right hands and repeat the phrase. About a dozen people visible in the frame appear to comply. Radio New Zealand independently verified the authenticity of the footage through its correspondent in Samoa.
Schmidt's statement on Monday characterized the words and gesture as inappropriate regardless of the intent behind them at the gathering. He said he rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and all forms of political extremism, and that the episode did not represent his personal beliefs or the values of Samoa's government and people. The apology came after the Samoa Observer solicited responses from academics. Richard Evans, a historian specializing in Nazi Germany, described the footage to the paper as "shocking and disturbing." Anne-Marie Brady, an academic at the University of Canterbury, told the newspaper that Schmidt should provide an explanation and apologize.
The timing of the video's emergence creates a particular tension in Schmidt's public record. He became prime minister in 2025 and has since made prominent displays of support for Israel. At his swearing-in ceremony, he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and had a shofar—a horn used in Jewish religious ceremonies—sounded. He has also committed to opening a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem before the end of 2026, a diplomatic move undertaken by only a handful of nations given the city's contested status and Palestinian claims to it as the capital of a future state.
In his Monday statement, Schmidt indicated he considered the matter resolved and said he intended to redirect his focus toward Samoa's economic and social challenges. The incident, however, raises questions about the gap between his current public positioning and his judgment nearly two decades earlier, even as he frames the 2007 gathering as an isolated episode that does not define his values or his leadership.
Notable Quotes
I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism— Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, in his Monday apology statement
Shocking and disturbing— Richard Evans, historian of Nazi Germany, describing the footage to the Samoa Observer
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