Samoan PM apologises for 'heil Hitler' salute at family event in 2007

La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, the Prime Minister of Samoa, apologized for a video that emerged showing him making a Nazi salute and saying "Heil Hitler" at a family gathering in July 2007. The seven-second clip was first published by the Samoa Observer on Sunday, revealing Schmidt leading about a dozen people in the gesture while holding a microphone. In his statement released Monday, Schmidt acknowledged that the words and actions were inappropriate and could cause offense or hurt, regardless of their context at the family gathering. He reaffirmed his stance against Nazism, antisemitism, racism, and all forms of political extremism, emphasizing they do not represent his beliefs or those of Samoa’s government and people. The video was recorded when Schmidt was deputy speaker of parliament in Samoa, a country with a population of about 220,000 located between New Zealand and Hawaii.