Having recently been fired from the Scream film franchise, actor Melissa Barrera has issued her first statement. She had been sacked from the seventh movie in the series by Spyglass Media Group after posting about the Israel-Gaza war on social media.
The production company felt that Barrera’s comments were antisemitic in nature, and now the actor has returned to Instagram to give her explanation of exactly what happened.
“First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” 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.”
Barrera 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.
The actor had shared a post that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and a passage from Jewish Currents that accused the Israeli government of distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.”
“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,” Barrera’s statement continued.
She signed off, “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.”
