Kim Hjelmgaard

USA TODAY

An anti-United States rally in the Philippines turned violent Wednesday when a police van smashed into demonstrators outside the American embassy in Manila.

Protesters had gathered to demand an end to the presence of U.S. troops in the country and to support a call by President Rodrigo Duterte for a foreign policy not dependent on the U.S., the country’s longtime ally.

Renato Reyes, a protest leader, told the Associated Press the violence took place when a police van ran over protesters, leaving several bloodied. AP Television footage showed the van repeatedly ramming demonstrators.

Twenty-three protesters were arrested and three people were taken to the hospital.

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

The Philippines has long had an alliance with the U.S. — it is a key defense partner for Washington in the region — but it has been tested recently as Duterte has pursued a policy of extra-judicial killings of thousands of suspected drug suspects and dealers. Duterte has also made a series of controversial remarks about President Obama.

For Duterte, outrageous comments have become the norm