An angry mob of anti-Israel protesters demanded a boycott of Scream7 at the horror film’s premiere on Wednesday night while calling for a reversal of Melissa Barrera’s firing.
The In the Heights actress, who led 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, was dismissed from the seventh instalment over her pro-Palestine social media posts in November 2023 that publicly accused Israel of committing genocide.
As Breitbart News reported, Barrera set off an avalanche of criticism when she not only referred to Gaza as a “concentration camp” but also accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” in its war against Hamas in retaliation for the horrific October 7 terrorist attack, which claimed around 1,200 lives, most of whom were civilians.
Yahoo News notes the decision led to her co-star Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon quitting the project, and the film underwent a massive overhaul, with original star Neve Campbell ultimately coming back to lead the seventh chapter as Sidney Prescott.
According to Variety, about 25 demonstrators gathered around the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles lot with flags, drums and bullhorns and signs that read, “Stand for free speech”, “Cancel Paramount+”, and “Boycott Scream 7”.
They were also heard chanting phrases such as “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” and “Palestine will live forever!”
Barrera seemingly addressed the demonstration on her Instagram Stories by writing, “I see you,” with a red heart emoji.
As noted by the Hollywood Reporter (THR), Barrera helped usher the Scream franchise into a new generation with the 2022 feature that “earned $137.7 million globally and combined generations of cast members from the franchise.”
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