Melissa Barrera has responded to being fired from the upcoming Scream VII following social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying: “I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind.”
Writing on Instagram Stories hours after it emerged that Jenna Ortega will not return as Barrera’s on-screen sister Tara due to scheduling conflicts, Barerra, who starred as Sam Carpenter in two Scream films, said: “First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.
“As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need.
She added, “Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom.
“I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.”
Barrera was fired from the horror film on Tuesday by franchise producer Spyglass Media Group after she posted on social media, likening Gaza to a concentration camp and used the words “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” with regard to the Israeli military’s retaliatory attacks following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Spyglass issued a statement on Tuesday saying, “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
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