The Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and the End SARS movement in Nigeria were both perceived as a threat to their respective governments. Protesters of both movements were met...Show moreThe Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and the End SARS movement in Nigeria were both perceived as a threat to their respective governments. Protesters of both movements were met excessive force during the 2020 protests. Protesters of the End SARS movement in Nigeria were met with excessive force from the very beginning of the protests, whilst demonstrators of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States were met with excessive force in a much later stadium of the protests. The goal of this thesis is to explain how a variation in threat perception of social movements against police brutality result in different government responses. This study is a qualitative research, making use of a comparative case study approach. By applying Walt’s Threat Perception Theory, the researcher argues that four factors determine the level of threat of social movements. Namely, aggregate power, geographic proximity, offensive capabilities, and aggressive intentions. The paper found that although a movement’s aggregate power and geographic proximity are sufficient factors for a movement to be perceived as threatening, some governments will not engage in repressive behavior until there is an increase in the movement’s aggressive intentions. This disparity in threat perception explains the difference in government response. This research demonstrates that Walt’s threat perception theory, although being a state-centric approach, is applicable to protests and social movements as well.Show less