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

Fadingcorroborated7 outlets reported this themselves in 8 reports over 2 days - more reporting than echo.

Mon, 5 October 2026peak 7 reports on Mon, 5 October 2026Tue, 6 October 2026

After the peak, new reports halved every 5 hours.

What it is about

La’auli Leuatea Schmidt Nazi Germany Samoa heil Hitler Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt PM Heil Hitler Premijer pacifičke državice Premier ministre Polynésie Premijer Samoe Izrael Schmidt

Who published it, and when

original reportfirst to report

South China Morning Post

Al Jazeera English

Libération (France)

BBC News World

5 Oct, 02:57over 24 hours6 Oct, 02:36

3 reports left out of the cascade - too little in common with the story to place

How it spread - 8 original reports

Mon, 5 October 2026
7 reports
- South China Morning Post02:57first to report
  Pro-Israel Samoa prime minister apologises for Nazi gesture in leaked video
  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...
- ABC News (Australia)03:59
  Samoan PM apologises for 'heil Hitler' salute at family event in 2007
  Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt apologises after video emerges of him performing a Nazi salute and saying the phrase "heil Hitler" at a family event in 2007.
- Al Jazeera English05:08
  Samoa PM apologises after Nazi salute video emerges
  Pacific island nation’s leader says 2007 video showing him saying 'Heil Hitler' does not reflect his beliefs.
- Index.hr (Croatia)07:15
  Procurila stara snimka. Premijer pacifičke državice salutirao i rekao "Heil Hitler"
  PREMIJER Samoe Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt ispričao se zbog snimke stare 19 godina na kojoj govori "Heil Hitler" i izvodi nacistički pozdrav tijekom, kako je rekao, obiteljskog okupljanja.
- Libération (France)08:12
  Samoa : le Premier ministre présente ses excuses après une vidéo le montrant faire un salut nazi
  La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, chef du gouvernement de l’Etat indépendant situé à l’extrémité occidentale de la Polynésie, présente ses excuses pour un geste réalisé il y a 20 ans, «lors une réunion familiale privée».
- tportal (Croatia)11:18
  Premijer Samoe na obiteljskom druženju izgovarao 'Heil Hitler': 'Stojim uz Izrael'
  Premijer Samoe ispričao se u ponedjeljak nakon što se pojavila snimka na kojoj izgovara "Heil Hitler" i daje nacistički pozdrav.
- Al Jazeera English13:48
  Samoa prime minister apologises after Nazi salute video surfaces
  Samoa PM has apologised after a video of him resurfaced, showing him leading a Nazi salute and saying ‘Heil Hitler'.
Tue, 6 October 2026
1 report
- BBC News World02:36
  Samoa leader apologises for Nazi salute after video from 2007 emerges
  Schmidt acknowledged that his actions "were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt".