Nearly two decades after a private moment became a public record, Samoa's prime minister Leuatea Schmidt finds himself navigating the long reach of the past. A seven-second video from a 2007 family reunion, in which he led others in a Nazi salute, surfaced this week — arriving in sharp contrast to his recent swearing-in, where he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and declared solidarity with Israel. Schmidt has apologized, rejected the ideologies the gesture represents, and asked that the private context be considered; yet the distance between who a person was and who they claim to have become is rar
Samoa PM apologizes for Nazi salute video from 2007
He was leading the moment, not following along
Mark
So he was actually directing people to do this, not just going along with it?
Mimi
Yes—the video shows him telling them to raise their right hands, then saying the phrase himself. He was leading the moment, not following along.
Luke
Do we know what his intent was? Was this meant as a joke, a dare, historical reenactment? The source doesn't say.
Mimi
It doesn't. We only have his statement that it was inappropriate and not intended for public view. The context of why it happened at all is missing.
Mark
And this was 2007—nearly twenty years ago. Does that matter?
Luke
It matters for understanding whether people can change, but it also matters that he's now wearing a Jewish prayer shawl and declaring support for Israel. That's a pretty stark contrast.
Mimi
Right. The question isn't whether he's changed—it's whether the change is genuine, and whether he's addressed it with anyone who might have been hurt by the original act.
Mark
Has he explained the shift between 2007 and now?
Luke
Not in anything the source provides. We have the apology, we have his current statements, but nothing connecting them or explaining what happened in between.
Mimi
Which is probably the most important missing piece. An apology without explanation leaves people guessing about whether he understands what he did wrong.
Mark
What do we actually know about how Samoa is reacting?
Luke
We don't. The source tells us the video emerged, that he apologized, but nothing about public response or political consequences. That's a real gap.
El Pulso
- A seven-second clip from 2007 shows Schmidt not merely joining a Nazi salute but directing others to perform it — making him the architect of the moment, not a bystander.
- The footage landed with particular force because Schmidt had, just weeks earlier, worn a Jewish prayer shawl at his swearing-in and publicly declared Samoa's solidarity with Israel.
- Schmidt issued a Facebook apology the day after the Samoa Observer broke the story, calling his conduct inappropriate and explicitly rejecting Nazism, antisemitism, and all forms of political extremism.
- The gap between his 2007 actions and his current public positioning remains unexplained — no account of what changed, or whether he has spoken directly with Jewish or Israeli representatives, has emerged.
- Samoa's own colonial history under German rule until World War One adds an unspoken layer to the controversy, deepening the questions the footage raises about heritage, memory, and accountability.
Nearly two decades after a private moment became a public record, Samoa's prime minister Leuatea Schmidt finds himself navigating the long reach of the past. A seven-second video from a 2007 family reunion, in which he led others in a Nazi salute, surfaced this week — arriving in sharp contrast to his recent swearing-in, where he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and declared solidarity with Israel. Schmidt has apologized, rejected the ideologies the gesture represents, and asked that the private context be considered; yet the distance between who a person was and who they claim to have become is rarely so easily bridged in public life.
A video filmed at a Samoan family reunion in July 2007 resurfaced this week, showing the country's current prime minister, Leuatea Schmidt, instructing about a dozen relatives to raise their right hands in a Nazi salute while he said "Heil Hitler." The Samoa Observer published the footage on Sunday; by Monday, Schmidt had posted an apology on Facebook, acknowledging that his actions "were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt" and explicitly rejecting Nazism, antisemitism, and political extremism of any kind. He noted the video was filmed in a private setting and was never intended for public view.
The revelation arrives at a charged moment in Schmidt's young tenure. He took office in September 2025 as Samoa's eighth prime minister, and at his swearing-in ceremony he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and declared that Samoa "stood with Israel" — gestures that now sit in uncomfortable proximity to the 2007 footage. At the time the video was filmed, Schmidt was serving as deputy speaker of parliament and, according to a family member, was acting as master of ceremonies at the reunion — meaning his role in the salute was one of direction, not mere participation.
Schmidt carries both German and Samoan heritage, a detail that connects him to Samoa's history as a German colonial territory until the outbreak of World War One. That historical thread adds texture to the controversy without excusing it. What remains unaddressed is the distance between the man in the 2007 clip and the leader who embraced Jewish symbols at his inauguration — what changed, whether he has spoken with those his earlier actions may have hurt, and how Samoan voters will ultimately weigh a private moment from nearly twenty years ago against the public office he holds today.
A video surfaced this week showing Samoa's prime minister, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, leading a group in a Nazi salute at a family gathering nearly two decades ago. The seven-second clip, filmed in July 2007, captures Schmidt instructing about a dozen people to raise their right hands while he says "Heil Hitler," then thanking them for complying. The footage emerged publicly on Sunday when the Samoa Observer reported the story, prompting Schmidt to issue a statement on Facebook the following day.
Schmidt acknowledged that his conduct "were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt." He noted that the video was recorded at a private family reunion and was never meant for public consumption. In his statement, he explicitly rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and all forms of political extremism. The apology came as Schmidt is still in the early months of his tenure as Samoa's eighth prime minister, having taken office in September 2025.
The timing of the revelation creates a particular tension in Schmidt's public record. At his swearing-in ceremony just weeks before the video emerged, he wore a Jewish prayer shawl and made explicit statements of support for Israel. During those early days in office, he declared that Samoa "stood with Israel," adding that the nation believed in "the God of Israel" and that if people around the world disagreed with that position, "that's up to them." Those gestures and words now sit alongside the 2007 footage in the public record.
Schmidt has both German and Samoan heritage, a background that connects him to Samoa's own colonial history. The island nation, home to roughly 221,000 people and situated between New Zealand and Hawaii, was under German control in the early 20th century until World War One began. That historical relationship to Germany adds another layer to the controversy, though it does not explain or justify the 2007 incident.
At the time the video was filmed, Schmidt held the position of deputy speaker of parliament. According to a family member quoted by the Samoa Observer, he was serving as master of ceremonies at the family reunion where the salute occurred. The video shows him not merely participating in the gesture but actively directing others to do so, making it a moment of leadership rather than passive involvement.
The emergence of the video raises questions about how voters and the international community assess a leader's past conduct, particularly actions taken in private settings years before assuming high office. Schmidt's explicit rejection of the ideologies represented by the salute, combined with his recent public embrace of Jewish and Israeli symbols, suggests a significant shift in his public positioning—though the gap between the 2007 moment and his current statements remains unexplained. What prompted the change, whether he has addressed the incident with Jewish or Israeli representatives, and how Samoan voters will weigh this revelation against his current leadership remain open questions.
Citas Notables
His actions were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt, and the clip was recorded at a private gathering not intended for the public.— Schmidt, in a Facebook statement
I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism.— Schmidt, in a Facebook statement
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