UN, US slam Duterte for comparing himself to Hitler
The United States, United Nations, and Human Rights Watch slammed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for his remarks on Friday comparing himself to Adolf Hitler and saying he would be happy to slaughter three million drug users similar to what the German dictator did to millions of Jews.
A wire agency report quoted German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer as saying: "Any comparison of the singular atrocities of the Holocaust with anything else is totally unacceptable."
The ministry also said in a statement it had asked the Philippine envoy "to come to the ministry for a discussion on this issue."
Foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said Ambassador Melita Sta Maria-Thomeczek had been invited to the German foreign ministry. No information was available as of posting time.
One of Duterte's critics is US Pentagon chief Ashton Carter who described as "deeply troubling" his statement comparing his war on drugs to the atrocities of one of the hated figures in history.
“Speaking personally for myself, I find those comments deeply troubling,” Carter said in a news briefing in the US, excerpts of which was aired over ANC.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner also expressed concern over Duterte's statement which he said is a departure from the mutual foundation of shared values of the US and the Philippines.
"I would say that America's relationship or partnership with the Philippines is long and been based on a mutual foundation of shared values and that includes our shared beliefs in human rights and human dignity and within that context, President Duterte's comments is a significant departure from that tradition and we find them troubling," he said in a press conference on Saturday.
Two officials of the United Nations, which has been critical of Duterte's crackdown illegal drugs, also scored him for identifying himself with Hitler who was responsible for the deaths of about six million Jews during in the Holocaust during the Second World War.
"I think any use of the Holocaust and the suffering of the Holocaust in comparison to anything else frankly is is inappropriate and is to be rejected," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujaric.
UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng also expressed alarm over Duterte's comparison of his campaign to kill millions of drug addicts to the massacre of Jews by Hitler.
Dieng, in a statement, lambasted Duterte for making a statement "deeply disrespectful" of the right to life of all human beings.
"The Holocaust was one of the darkest periods of the history of humankind and that any glorification of the cruel and criminal acts committed by those responsible was unacceptable and offensive," Dieng said.
Human Rights Watch, for its part, chided Duterte for his obscene statement and called on foreign organizations to denounce the Philippine leader.
"Foreign donors such as the United States and the European Union, which provide technical and financial assistance to the Philippine security forces, particularly the Philippine National Police, urgently need to send a strong message to the Duterte government that it risks an immediate suspension of that aid unless the abusive 'war on drugs' and its skyrocketing death toll comes to a halt," said Phelim Kine,
HRW deputy Asia director, in a statement.
"More broadly, they should be clear that if Duterte’s assault on some of the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens continue, their longstanding close relationship with the Philippines will be at risk." Emmanuel Tupas/DMS
