Melissa Barrera fired from Scream 7 over social media posts on Israel-Hamas conflict

Scream 7 actress Melissa Barrera reportedly fired for criticizing Israel-Hamas war on social media, faces backlash for alleged antisemitic posts.

Melissa Barrera, a 33-year-old actress from Mexico, has reportedly been fired from the upcoming film Scream 7 due to her social media posts criticizing the Israel-Hamas war. Barrera, who played lead character Sam Carpenter in the franchise's fifth and sixth films, was "quietly dropped" from the sequel by Spyglass Media, according to reports from Variety and Deadline.

The controversial Instagram posts, which have been perceived as antisemitic, led to Barrera's dismissal. In one post, she referred to Israel as a "colonized" land and shared content that was seen as containing an antisemitic trope of Jewish people controlling the media. In another Instagram Story, Barrera questioned why Western media only showed the Israeli side of the conflict and referred to Gaza as being treated like a concentration camp, drawing parallels to historical genocides and ethnic cleansing.

Spyglass Media released a statement expressing their zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism and hate speech in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, and Holocaust distortion. The production company made it clear that Barrera's social media posts crossed the line and were not acceptable.

While there have been no official casting confirmations for Scream 7, it was expected that Barrera would reprise her role in the film. However, her firing has left her future involvement in the franchise uncertain. In addition to her work in the Scream series, Barrera has appeared in films such as In the Heights, Carmen, and the upcoming Bed Rest.

This news comes in the wake of reports that Susan Sarandon was dropped by her talent agency UTA for comments she made at a pro-Palestine rally in New York City. Sarandon's remarks at the rally, where she expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause and drew comparisons between the experiences of Jewish and Muslim individuals in the United States, sparked controversy and led to professional repercussions for the veteran actress.

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