"Heil Hitler": The old video that came back to haunt the Prime Minister of Samoa

Samoa's Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, apologized after a 2007 video resurfaced showing her performing a Nazi salute and leading chants of "Heil Hitler" at a private family event. In an official statement, she acknowledged that the gesture and remarks were inappropriate and could cause hurt and pain. The video was first published by the Samoa Observer, a newspaper the Prime Minister banned from attending government press conferences.

Samoa's Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, apologized on Monday after an old video from 2007, in which she is seen performing the Nazi salute and leading chants of "Heil Hitler" at a family event, resurfaced online. The apology was published in an official government statement. In her statement, the Prime Minister said her words were "not intended for public dissemination" and acknowledged that "whatever the context or intent at that gathering twenty years ago, I recognize that those words and gestures were inappropriate and could cause hurt and pain, and I apologize for using them." She was elected Prime Minister of the Pacific island nation last year. The antisemitic remarks were made during a "private family gathering" on Savai'i, the country's largest island, in 2007, when Fiame served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament. Samoa was a German colony in the early 20th century, and many of its residents have German heritage and surnames. In the seven-second video, Fiame is seen leading about ten people in the Nazi salute, saying "Raise your right hand, Heil Hitler," as the group mimics her words and gesture. The footage was first published by the Samoa Observer, a newspaper the Prime Minister banned from attending government press conferences last year, citing "unfair" reporting.