Press Release

Philippines President Duterte’s Likening of Himself to Hitler Baffling and Deeply Offensive, ADL Says

New York, NY, September 30, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned remarks by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in which he likened himself to Adolf Hitler in reference to a desire to exterminate millions of drug users in his country.

“These comments by the Philippine president are shocking,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The comparison of drug users and dealers to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust is inappropriate and deeply offensive.

“Hitler was a megalomaniac and a mass-murderer who was responsible for the slaughter of six million innocent Jews and millions of others during World War II and it is baffling why any leader would want to model himself after such a monster,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “It is notable that the Philippines has a proud history of providing refuge to over a thousand Jews fleeing Hitler’s genocide.”

The Philippines scored relatively low according to ADL’s worldwide survey on anti-Semitism conducted in 2014. The poll found that three percent of those surveyed harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.