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SYDNEY - Samoa's prime minister apologized 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 intention at that gathering twenty years ago, I recognise that those words and gesture were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt and I apologise for using them."
Schmidt has previously voiced his staunch support for Israel and has committed to opening an embassy in Jerusalem before the end of the year.
"I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism," he said.
He wore a Jewish prayer shawl when he was sworn in as prime minister in 2025, entering the room to the sound of a ceremonial "shofar" horn.
"I stand for Israel, the land of God," he said at the time, according to local media.
"Samoa will stand up and support the holy land of God."
Deeply religious Pacific nations like Samoa hold strong beliefs in Old Testament prophecy, which holds that Jews are destined to one day return to the Land of Israel. - AFP
