Actor John Cleese decries silence on Easter massacre of Nigerian Christians

“Monty Python” actor and comedian John Cleese drew attention to the international community’s muted response to a string of deadly attacks on Christian worshippers in Nigeria over Easter weekend, drawing a pointed contrast with the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It looks rather as though Black Lives Don’t Matter,” Mr. Cleese wrote on his social media account April 7, responding to a post by Leo Terrell, chair of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and senior counsel at the Justice Department, who had asked why the world was not discussing the killings. Mr. Cleese added what appeared to be a sarcastic critique of media coverage, writing, “Also, writing about it would damage the image of the murderers who killed these poor people.”

The remarks came in the wake of a series of attacks across Nigeria’s Middle Belt that claimed the lives of dozens of Christians during Holy Week. Coordinated Easter weekend strikes hit multiple communities in Benue, Kaduna and Nasarawa states, with reports of killings, abductions and widespread destruction. In Benue state’s Mbalom community, reports said at least 17 Christians were killed late Saturday as residents prepared for Easter Vigil. In Kaduna state, gunmen opened fire on worshippers attending Easter services in the village of Ariko.

The Easter attacks followed a Palm Sunday massacre in Angwan Rukuba, in Jos, Plateau state, where reported death tolls varied across outlets.

A local government official described the scene in Ariko to the Lagos-based Vanguard, saying attackers “came in large numbers,” surrounded the area, and began shooting at worshippers. Several people were killed while others were taken into the bush. The Nigerian army said it had rescued 31 kidnapping victims, though local Christian leaders disputed that claim.

The death tolls across the various incidents remain contested, with figures varying between reporting organizations. International Christian Concern reported that at least 54 Christians were killed across Nigeria’s Middle Belt over Easter, many of them during worship services, with dozens more abducted.

According to the World Watch List 2026 compiled by Open Doors, Nigeria accounted for roughly 72% of Christians killed worldwide for their faith between October 2024 and September 2025, making it the global epicenter of deadly violence against Christians.

The violence drew condemnation from U.S. lawmakers. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, urged the Nigerian government to “take immediate and concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of all Christian communities in the country.”

Analysts caution that the roots of the conflict are complex. U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Mohamed Malik Fall has said he would not characterize the broader violence as targeted persecution of a religious group, noting that the vast majority of the more than 40,000 people killed in the country’s ongoing insurgency are Muslims.