Samoa Prime Minister Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt apologized Monday for making a Nazi gesture and saying “Heil Hitler” in a video recorded at a family gathering 19 years ago.
The apology came a day after the Samoa Observer reported the existence of a seven-second video from a Schmidt family reunion held in Samoa in July 2007.
A screenshot from the video shows Schmidt holding a microphone while raising his other arm, with several people around him making a similar gesture.
The newspaper reported that Schmidt could be heard saying, “Raise your right hand, Heil Hitler!”
Schmidt, who was deputy speaker of Samoa's Parliament at the time, did not dispute the report. He has led the Pacific island nation, which has a population of about 220,000, since winning an election in August 2025.
“I recognise that those words and gesture were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt and I apologise for using them,” Schmidt said in a statement posted on the government's Facebook page.
He said the video was recorded at a private family gathering and was not intended for public release.
Schmidt also said he rejected “Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism.”
The Samoa Observer said it was unclear what happened immediately before or after the moment shown in the video. Schmidt's statement did not provide further details.
Dispute with newspaper
The disclosure comes amid an ongoing dispute between Schmidt's government and the Samoa Observer, which has been barred from covering his news conferences and other government events since November.
Schmidt accused the newspaper of publishing misleading reports.
On Friday, he confirmed that an aide had deleted photographs of him taken by an Observer reporter outside government buildings during an official event.
Schmidt defended the action, saying the newspaper had violated the government's ban on its coverage.
The Observer has described the ban as “authoritarian,” while several Pacific media organisations have urged Schmidt to lift it.
The Journalists Association of Samoa said it was “deeply disturbed” by the deletion of the photographs.
Schmidt's support for Israel
Schmidt has also been a strong supporter of Israel, joining several leaders of small Pacific island nations who have expressed support for the country.
Since September 2023, three Pacific island nations other than Samoa have been among a small group of countries that followed the United States in opening embassies in Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, where most foreign diplomatic missions are located.
Analysts have linked the region's support for Israel to its strong Christian traditions.
When Schmidt was sworn in as prime minister in September 2025, he wore a Jewish prayer shawl during a ceremony that included the blowing of a shofar.
“Samoa will not withdraw from supporting Israel as the country of God's people,” he told reporters after the ceremony, according to local media reports.