Samoa leader apologises for Nazi salute after video from 2007 emerges
Summary
Samoa’s Prime Minister Laauli Schmidt apologized after a video from 2007 showed him giving a Nazi salute and saying "Heil Hitler" at a family event. He said the gesture was wrong, caused hurt, and that he rejects all forms of hate and political extremism.Key Facts
- The video was filmed in July 2007 at a family reunion with about a dozen people taking the salute.
- Schmidt was deputy speaker of Samoa’s parliament at the time of the video.
- He admitted the actions were inappropriate and apologized publicly on Facebook.
- Schmidt said the video was private and not meant for public sharing.
- He firmly rejects Nazism, antisemitism (hatred against Jewish people), racism, and political extremism.
- Samoa is a small island nation with about 221,000 people, located between New Zealand and Hawaii.
- Schmidt has Samoan and German heritage and became Samoa’s eighth prime minister in September 2025.
- During his swearing-in, Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl and expressed support for Israel.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
