Melissa Barrera issues defiant response after ‘Scream VII’ sacking

Melissa Barrera has broken her silence after being fired from ‘Scream VII’ for her comments regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The 33-year-old actress had been set to reprise her role as Sam Carpenter – the daughter of the original movie’s villain Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) – in the seventh instalment of the slasher franchise, but her posts supporting Palestine have been deemed antisemitic by Spyglass Media Group.

Now Barrera has broken her silence on her exit and defended her comments.

Updating on her Instagram stories, the star wrote: “First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.”

Continuing her rebuke, Barrera wrote: “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.”

“Every person on this earth… 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.”

The star finished the message: “I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence,” she concluded her statement.

“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.”

Her message to her fans comes after the studio revealed her departure.

They said in a statement: “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.”

They made the move after she reshared a post accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing”.