Video: Philippines' president invokes Hitler, says 'happy' to slaughter millions of drug users

Rodrigo Duterte appears to liken himself to Adolf Hitler, saying that he would kill three million drug addicts in the Philippines similar to the Holocaust State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Friday said Duterte’s comments, in a rambling speech on his arrival in Davao City after a visit to Vietnam, were “a significant departure” from America’s partnership with the Philippines “and we find them troubling.”

Duterte told reporters that he had been “portrayed to be a cousin of Hitler” by critics. Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon says Saturday Israel is convinced that President Duterte “will find a way to clarify his words.”

On Friday, the outspoken Duterte said “Hitler massacred 3 million Jews … there’s 3 million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them.”

Duterte, under fire for extra-judicial killings in the drug war, was referring to the estimated number of drug addicts in the country. While Hitler’s victims were innocent people, Duterte said his targets are “all criminals” and that getting rid of them would “finish the (drug) problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”

Germany’s government slammed Duterte’s comments as unacceptable, and called in the Philippine ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the matter. Since Duterte came to power on June 30, police have killed more than 1,200 people and about 1,800 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures. I would like (them) to be all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.’

 Duterte was voted to power in a May election on the back of a vow to end drugs and corruption in the country of 100 million people. Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Digital Terrorism and Hate project, called them “outrageous.”

“Duterte owes the victims (of the Holocaust) an apology for his disgusting rhetoric,” Cooper said. The Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish group based in the United States, said Duterte’s comments were “shocking for their tone-deafness.”

“The comparison of drug users and dealers to Holocaust victims is inappropriate and deeply offensive,” said Todd Gutnick, the group’s director of communications. “It is baffling why any leader would want to model himself after such a monster.”

Duterte has said there will be no annual war games between the Philippines and the United States until the end of his six-year term, and his hostility may make Washington’s strategy of rebalancing its military focus toward Asia in the face of an increasingly assertive China more difficult to achieve.
President Rodrigo Duterte likens himself to Adolf Hitler saying he would "be happy" to kill 3 million drug users and dealers in the country. United Nations adviser Adama Dieng cautions Duterte that his use of language could lead to "crimes against humanity".