Pro-Israel Samoa prime minister apologises for Nazi gesture in leaked video

Asia - South China Morning Post · Oct 5, 2026

Samoa’s prime minister apologised on Monday after video surfaced showing him saying “Heil Hitler” and making a Nazi gesture. Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt said the footage was from a family gathering almost 20 years old and was never meant to see the light of day. “The footage shows me using the words ‘Heil Hitler’ and participating in a gesture associated with Nazi Germany in a private family gathering – not intended for the public,” he said in a statement. “Whatever the context or...