Philippines leader compares himself to Hitler, says he'd 'slaughter' 3 million drug users

Rodrigo Duterte.
(Image credit: MANMAN DEJETO/AFP/Getty Images)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte used a speech on Friday to ratchet up his literal war on drugs. Adolf "Hitler massacred 3 million Jews," Duterte said, undercounting the Holocaust by about 3 million Jews. In the Philippines, he continued, "there's 3 million drug addicts. There are. I'd be happy to slaughter them."

Speaking to reporters after a trip to Vietnam, Duterte said that he has been "portrayed to be some cousin of Hitler," then made that comparison himself. "If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have..." he paused and pointed at himself, Reuters reports. While running for president, Duterte took a strong anti-drug and corruption stance, and since taking office on June 30, more than 3,100 people, primarily drug users and dealers, have been killed by police and in vigilante killings. "You know my victims," Duterte said. "I would like [them] to be all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.