Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte burst into a rant against the European Union (EU) on Tuesday after it called for a halt to the extra-judicial killing of drug suspects in the country.
"I read the condemnation of the European Union against me. I will tell them f*** you. You're doing it in atonement for your sins," Duterte told The Philippine Inquirer in Davao City.
He said the members of the European Union had "guilt feelings" over the atrocities they had committed in the past and hence they are becoming strict about human rights.
Duterte referred to the EU members as hypocrites and said a check of encyclopaedias would show what European countries had done in the past. Adding up to the statement he said France and Great Britain had killed Arabs.
"And then the European Union now has the gall to condemn me. I repeat it, f*** you," he said.
"Who were they? Criminals? You call it genocide? How many did they kill?" he said, hinting at the Europeans.
Earlier this month, Duterte, who is known for his expletive-laced speeches, referred to US President Barack Obama as a "son of a b****" and warned Obama not to challenge him over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
"You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions," Duterte said of Obama.
He prompted the American leader to call off their bilateral meeting before the regional summit at Laos.
But later, Duterte expressed his regrets for his foul-mouthed rant against the US President. "While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President," he said.
Almost 3,000 people have been killed in Philippines in the campaign against illegal narcotics trade since Duterte won the May elections in a landslide victory and came to power.
