Melissa Barrera breaks silence after ‘Scream’ firing: ‘Silence is not an option’

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Scream star Melissa Barrera has condemned anti-Semitism after she was fired from the franchise’s upcoming seventh instalment for comments she made in a series of social media posts in the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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Barrera, 33, has made dozens of posts since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7.

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“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” she wrote in one post that appeared on her Instagram Story. “Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”

In another, the actress shared a message that read, “You cannot love your neighbour while supporting or accepting systems that crush, exploit, and dehumanize them. You cannot love your neighbour while accepting less for them and their family than you do for you and your own.”

A spokesperson for Spyglass, the production company behind the series, said that Barrera’s words were interpreted as anti-Semitic and as a result the actress was dropped from Scream VII, which was set to go before cameras next year.

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“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,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety.

As her name trended Wednesday, Barrera spoke out about her dismissal in her Instagram Story, writing that she condemns “hate and prejudice.”

“First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” she wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram Story Wednesday evening.

“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,” her statement Wednesday continued. “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.”

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Barrera continued, adding that her posts were meant as criticisms of ruling powers and not the citizens themselves.

“I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism,” Barrera wrote. “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.”

Happy Death Day filmmaker Christopher Landon, who is slated to direct Scream VII, taking over from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, told fans to “stop yelling” at him in a now-deleted post on X.

“Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make,” Landon wrote.

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Actor John Cusack tweeted his support for Barrera, writing, “That is crazy this artist is fired for stating facts. Food water electricity was cut – Gaza is in ruins. The word Genocide is being used by international [organizations].”

Along with Jenna Ortega, Barrera helped reboot the Scream franchise last year with a new entry in which she was cast as Sam Carpenter, the daughter of original Ghostface villain Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).

But following Barrera‘s ouster, news surfaced that Ortega will also not be returning due to her shooting schedule on Season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday.

Spyglass has already faced public backlash once before after original series star Neve Campbell walked away from Scream VI following a contract dispute.

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In an interview with the Sun this past March, Barrera said that she enjoyed the direction the series had taken, including setting the last film in New York City. She also shared the biggest lesson she’s learned from acting in the Scream films.

“I don’t give in to curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat and it’s mostly when you give into those feelings of, ‘Let me go see what’s going on in the basement,’ or, ‘Let me go see what’s going on down this hallway,’ or ‘Let me go open this door.’ Just don’t do it,” she said.

Variety now reports that Scream VII will undergo a complete overhaul. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of the past two Scream films, will start from scratch with rumours swirling that Campbell could return as Sidney Prescott alongside Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers. Patrick Dempsey, who appeared in 2000’s Scream 3, is another name being mentioned.

News of Barrera’s dismissal came after reports that Susan Sarandon had been dropped by talent agency UTA following her fiery comments at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City earlier this month.

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X: @markhdaniell

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