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WATCH: Philippine Police Van Purposely Runs Over Anti-US Demonstrators in Front of U.S. Embassy

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Protesters lie on the ground after being hit by a police van during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila.

Protesters lie on the ground after being hit by a police van during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila.

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MANILA – A Philippine police van purposely ran over anti-US demonstrators, in front of the American Embassy in Manila leaving several bloodied, as an anti-U.S. rally turned violent Wednesday.

At least three student activists had to be taken to a hospital after they were run over by the van driven by a police officer, protest leader Renato Reyes said.

TV footage shows the van repeatedly ramming the protesters as it drove wildly back and forth after activists surrounded and started hitting the vehicle with wooden batons they seized from police.

In front of horrified crowds, including video-journalists and photographers, the van suddenly charged backward then sprinted forward twice over a space of about 20 meters (60 feet), barreling through the scattered protesters and hurtling some to the side like bowling pins. A few got ran over but somehow managed to stand.

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Some screamed in surprise, others hurled stones at the van and yelled invective’s. A speaker called the police “puppies of imperialists” on a loudspeaker.

“There was absolutely no justification for it,” Reyes said of the violent police dispersal of about 1,000 protesters. “Even as the president vowed an independent foreign policy, Philippine police forces still act as running dogs of the U.S.”

Police lobbed tear gas and arrested at least 23 protesters who broke through a line of riot police and hurled red paint at the officers and a U.S. government seal at the start of the rally at the seaside embassy compound.

Protesters lie on the ground after being hit by a police van during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila. - Getty Image

Protesters lie on the ground after being hit by a police van during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila. – Getty Image

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A firetruck doused the rowdy protesters with water to push them back, but they took hold of the water hose and confronted the outnumbered police with rocks and red paint. After breaking through the police corridor, they scribbled “U.S. troops out now” and other slogans at the embassy’s tall fence with red paint.

The protesters, consisting of students, workers and tribe-speople, were demanding an end to the presence of visiting U.S. troops in the Philippines and to support a call by President Rodrigo Duterte for a foreign policy not dependent on the U.S., the country’s longtime treaty ally.

The activists came from the largest left-wing umbrella group called Bayan (Nation), which has organized regular anti-U.S. protests in front of the embassy for decades, most of which are peaceful.

A firetruck doused the rowdy protesters with water to push them back,

A firetruck doused the rowdy protesters with water to push them back.

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Duterte was on a state visit to China, where he is seeking to repair relations strained under his predecessor over territorial conflicts in the South China Sea. He is also seeking to expand two-way trade and investments and financing for badly needed infrastructure projects.

Amid an uneasy relationship with the U.S., Duterte has tried to reach out to China and Russia, bringing uncertainty to his country’s long alliance with America.

But the protesters also opposed the president’s effort to lean toward China. “The Philippines will not be dictated on, whether by the U.S. or China,” they said in a statement.

The Philippine National Police did not comment immediately Wednesday.

The violence happened as the police and Duterte are under increased international scrutiny for their alleged role in the killings of thousands of drug suspects and pushers as part of the president’s war on illegal drugs.

By Bullit Marquez | The Associated Press

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