Actress Melissa Barrera receives support after being fired for showing sympathy toward Palestine

By Anadolu Staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Widespread support poured in for actress Melissa Barrera after she was fired from the Scream sequel following her pro-Palestinian social media posts.

An Irish member of the European Parliament, Mick Wallace, backed Barrera on X with a post that said: “Actress Melissa Barrera is fired from the next Scream film sequel for daring to speak for the persecuted #Palestinians.”

Among those who showed support for Barrera was film critic Zoe Rose Bryant who wrote on X: “Melissa Barrera will not be silenced and neither will we,” as she shared a Palestinian flag emoji.

Also, US television series Stranger Things star Grace Van Dien showed support for Barrera. “So we're all boycotting spyglass films now, yea?” she wrote but later deleted her post.

Last month, Barrera, 33, shared an open letter urging world leaders to call for a cease-fire in the Israeli onslaught against Gaza. She was among Hollywood stars, including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett, who signed the letter.

“We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Palestine and Israel,” she posted on Instagram.

“Please join us in demanding that Congress, @POTUS, and other world leaders call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” she wrote. “We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it.”

Barrera was removed from the sequel because of her social media posts, including referring to Israel as a “colonized” land and saying Israel controls the media, according to US entertainment magazine Variety.

"I too come from a colonized country. Palestine will be free," she wrote in an Instagram post which was viewed as "antisemitic."

Meanwhile, production company Spyglass released a statement on Barrera's removal and said its 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," it said in a statement quoted by several US media outlets.

On Tuesday, Hollywood talent agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), dropped award-winning actress Susan Sarandon after remarks she made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City.

Sarandon attended several pro-Palestinian rallies and faced criticism for saying at a Nov. 17 rally in New York City: “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”

*Irmak Akcan in Ankara contributed to this story