Melissa Barrera booted from 'Scream VII' over Israel-Hamas comments
The production company behind “Scream” says actor Melissa Barrera is no longer involved with the next movie in the franchise following what it’s calling her “hate speech” on social media about the Israel-Hamas war.
Spyglass Media Group, which produces the famed horror film series, confirmed to ITK a statement it gave to Variety on Tuesday.
“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,” the statement from a Spyglass spokesperson said.
Barrera, 33, had referred to Israel as a “colonized” land on social media, according to Variety. The performer also circulated an “antisemitic trope that Jews control the media,” the outlet reported.
As a result, Barrera reportedly won’t appear in the forthcoming “Scream VII,” which is currently in production.
In an October Instagram post, Barrera shared a message with her more than 1 million followers “demanding that Congress, [President Biden] and other world leaders call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.”
“We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it,” the post said.
A representative for Barrera couldn’t immediately be reached.
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed when Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, launched terrorist attacks on Oct. 7.
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks, and more than a million have been displaced.