Scream 7 Fallout: Barrera’s Dismissal Sparks Global Support
By Megan Sauer
Scream 7 Fallout: Barrera’s Dismissal Sparks Global Support – Not everyone will be silenced. After the scandalous dismissal of Melissa Barrera , who would be the protagonist of Scream 7 , actors and directors from the United Kingdom have signed a letter to condemn the retaliation, and outright censorship, that some members of the industry have faced for expressing their concern about the violation of human rights of the Palestinian people due to the armed conflict between Israel and Gaza.
Who supports Melissa Barrera after her dismissal from Scream 7?
In a letter, the British organization Artist for Palestine UK has condemned acts of censorship, such as the dismissal of Melissa Barrera for defending innocent Palestinians in Gaza, against members of the cultural union in her country. Among the notable signatories we have, for example, the Oscar winner Olivia Colman . More than a thousand people have signed the open letter in which they regret that there is a double standard when attention is paid to the violations of the human rights of the inhabitants of that region of the Middle East:
Far from supporting our calls to end violence, many cultural institutions in Western countries are systematically repressing, silencing and stigmatizing Palestinian voices and perspectives. This includes targeting and threatening the source of income of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as canceling performances, performances, talks, exhibitions and book launches.
The letter continues and states that, particularly for a sector that cares to raise its voice about numerous social problems, the attacks against the inhabitants of Gaza and the living conditions they have had to face as a result of the Israeli blockade of the region are a taboo subject. . They consider it a bias that must be addressed by different institutions:
We find it deeply troubling and, frankly, indicative of a disturbing double standard that expressions of solidarity, which have been readily offered to others facing brutal oppression, are not also extended to Palestinians. Such a discrepancy raises serious questions about bias in the response to serious human rights violations.
Barrera, who had previously published about the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza, was used as a pretext to separate her from her leading role in the famous horror franchise. Fortunately, the public has extended its support to her through a digital campaign through #JusticeForMelisaBarrera. But as of now, it is unknown if she has any other projects in the pipeline.
At the moment, Scream 7 also lost Jenna Ortega , another famous performer who played the sister of Barrera’s character, supposedly due to scheduling issues, but whose announcement was made suspiciously close to the scandal by her partner. All this has led the production to have a creative restructuring that will aim to find a new story and have different protagonists.
