Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte tells the EU 'F*** you' over his war on drugs

Filippino president accuses EU Parliament of hypocrisy

Mr Duterte made the verbal attack on against the EU Parliament after it urged him to launch an 'immediate investigation' into killings in the country's war on drugs (AP)

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has launched an expletive laden attack on the EU after it called on the Filipino authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the rising death toll in the country's war on drugs.

President Duterte said he responded with the words "f**k you" before accusing the EU of hypocrisy, asking: "How many have they killed?"

Speaking at the Sulong Pilipinas-Local Governance Dialogues in the southern city of Davao, the President said: "When I read the EU condemnation I told them f**k you.

"You are doing it in atonement for your sins. They are now strict because they have guilty feelings.

"Who did I kill? Assuming that it’s true? 1,700? How many have they killed?"

In a resolution last week, the European Parliament said that while it agrees drug trafficking and abuse in the Philippines “remain a serious and national concern,” it is also concerned “by the high numbers killed during police operations in the context of an intensified anti-crime and anti-drug campaign.”

It urged the Filipino government to “launch an 'immediate investigation' into the killings and adopt 'specific, comprehensive policies and programmes', in full compliance with national and international obligations and respect for human rights.”

Earlier this month President Duterte was said to have referred to US president Barack Obama as a "son of a whore", prompting Mr Obama to cancel a formal meeting between the two leaders.

Following the accusations, Mr Duterte said he regretted the verbal attack against the American president, and later denied he had been referring to Mr Obama at all.

Since gaining power in June, Mr Duterte has drawn international criticism over his bloody war on drugs, which has seen thousands of deaths.