Actor and noted animal rights activist Ricky Gervais is speaking out against this year's running of the bulls in Spain, which has so far left seven people dead.

BBC News reports that seven people have been killed since the annual festival began in July, four of them over the weekend.

The victims included a 36-year-old town councillor in Penafiel, north of Madrid, and a man who was gored in the neck while trying to film the bull-run with a cellphone.

Video from Sunday appears to show a 29-year-old bullfighter being gored in the back by a bull immediately after tripping and falling to the ground while he was trying to avoid the horned animal in Navarra, northern Spain. He later died.

Gervais, a well-known advocate for animal rights who regularly speaks out against animal cruelty on social media, had harsh words for the event.

Neither I nor any bull wants you to fight it. But if you insist I hope it defends itself. Fuck anyone who tortures an animal for fun. —@rickygervais

Gervais's tweet drew some harsh criticism, particularly from U.K. tabloid The Sun, which called him "Sicky Gervais," saying he "gets kicks from watching humans being murdered by bulls."

Gervais responded in a short video on his Facebook page, pointing out that the tabloid didn't clarify that he was talking about the running of the bulls.

"The truth is, I do prefer the bull to win," Gervais said. "I'd rather you didn't fight a bull, but if you do, if you choose to torture an animal to death for fun, I hope it defends itself.

"People will go and see it and say, 'Well, it's traditional.' So was slavery. We've moved on, haven't we? I mean surely progress, at its core, is society maximizing compassion and minimizing suffering?"

Gervais's video has so far been shared more than 4,000 times, with 20,700 likes on his Facebook page.

According to a Spanish report cited by BBC News, more than 7,200 bulls and steers were killed by bullfighters in Spain last year. Bullfighting was acknowledged as a part of Spain's national heritage in 2013. Officials said the state has a duty to "preserve and promote" the sport even as opponents continue to decry it.