Hundreds of thousands in Manila protest Duterte’s death squad war against the poor

Manila protests vs. Duterte 9:21:17 (Bullitt Marquez:AP Sept 23 2017

For the past month, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Manila against Duterte’s death squad war on the poor under the guise of fighting drugs & in opposition to martial law in Mindanao province–where he claims he is fighting Islamist terrorists & where US troops are involved. Since Duterte took office last June 30th, at least 12,500 people, including teens & adolescents, have been gunned down on the street by police & vigilante death squads. Protesters have been burning effigies of Duterte & expressing respect for his victims by displaying the photos of those executed & hanging tarps with their images.

We stand in fullest solidarity with the protesters & express deepest respect for their courage in standing against Duterte the butcher.

(Photo by Bullitt Marquez/AP)