John Cleese, co-founder of Monty Python and a regular critic of President Donald Trump, declared on X that he is "not a racist" but "a culturalist," saying he believes some cultures are superior to others based on the practices they tolerate.
The comedian responded to an online poll asking whether he was best described as a 'true British patriot' or a 'racist who hate[s] Muslims.' He said the problem is not race but cultures incompatible with Western values, citing wife beating, paedophilia, clitorectomies, stoning and what he called constant inflation of the male ego as practices he does not prefer.
Cleese has recently thrown his weight behind Restore Britain, an emerging right-wing party focused on addressing mass immigration, economic collapse, woke ideology and what it calls 'the relentless creep of radical Islam.'
What the Left Is Saying
Critics argue that declaring certain cultures superior functions as a proxy for racism even when framed in cultural terms. Anti-racism advocates contend such generalizations paint Muslim-majority societies with a broad brush and can fuel discrimination against British Muslims regardless of intent.
Some commentators note Cleese's examples describe practices found in some communities but not representative of the religion or its adherents broadly, and argue that singling out one faith for cultural comparison risks reinforcing prejudice. No major British political figure on the left had publicly responded to Cleese's posts as of this report.
What the Right Is Saying
Supporters argue Cleese is exercising free speech to raise legitimate concerns about cultural compatibility and border security. Restore Britain says mass immigration has placed strain on British institutions and values.
Immigration skeptics point to comments by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who admitted this week he cannot guarantee known terrorists have not already entered Britain via small boats crossing the English Channel — a clip Cleese reposted. He also shared footage of thousands of men breaching Spain's border with Morocco, alongside a post describing 'tens of thousands of fighting age Muslim men invading Europe.'
What the Numbers Show
The source material includes no independent statistics on immigration or cultural attitudes. The X post Cleese shared claimed tens of thousands of military-aged Moroccan men had breached Spain's border, but that figure has not been independently verified in available reporting.
The Defence Secretary's admission this week underscored uncertainty about who has entered Britain via Channel crossings, though specific figures were not included in the source material for this report.
The Bottom Line
Cleese's posts add a prominent celebrity voice to Britain's ongoing debate over immigration, cultural integration and free speech. His backing of Restore Britain gives the emerging party a high-profile supporter as it seeks political traction.
What to watch: whether British leaders respond directly to Cleese's comments, how his Islamoscepticism-versus-Islamophobia distinction is received in public discourse, and whether his support translates into broader visibility for Restore Britain.