Melissa Barrera is addressing the comments that got her fired from “Scream 7.”
“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” the actress, 33, told her followers Wednesday in a statement shared via her Instagram Story.
“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 went on on to say that “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.”
She made sure to highlight that “a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism.”
Barrera said she prays “day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence.”
Despite her termination from the movie, she vowed to “continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom.”
She concluded her post, “Silence is not an option for me.”
Production company Spyglass Entertainment axed Barrera from the horror franchise after she posted certain sentiments about the Israel-Hamas war, which the studio characterized as antisemitic.
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”
Since the start of the conflict — which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas forces crossed the Gaza border to invade Israel — Barrera has spoken out several times about the latter’s response to the terrorist attack.
“I too come from a colonized country,” she wrote last month beside a Mexican flag logo. “Palestine WILL be free. They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.”
On Monday, she added, “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.”
Barrera continued, “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere 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.”
“Scream 7” director Christopher Landon has made it clear that removing Barrera from the project was “not [his] decision to make” and asked angry fans to “stop yelling.”
