Melissa Barrera responds to “Scream VII” firing: 'Silence is not an option for me'

The actress was dropped from the slasher sequel over a series of social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

Melissa Barrera is breaking her silence a day after being fired from Scream VII over social media posts she made about the Israel-Hamas war that producer Spyglass Media Group deemed "hate speech."

In a statement posted to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, the actress, 33, condemned "hate and prejudice of any kind" and vowed to continue speaking out for people in need.

"First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism 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."

She added, "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. 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 concluded by saying she would "continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me."

News broke Tuesday that Barrera, who starred in the fifth and sixth Scream movies, had been dropped from the seventh installment of the slasher franchise in response to a series of social media posts expressing support for the Palestinian cause and criticizing Israeli actions. Spyglass said in a statement, "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."

EW has reached out to Spyglass for comment on Barrera's latest statement.

Barrera's statement also came hours after news broke that her costar Jenna Ortega, who played her sister in the last two Scream movies, would also not be back for Scream VII, reportedly due to a scheduling conflict.

It's unclear which direction the next film will go from here, as Barrera and Ortega had seemed poised to be new faces of the franchise.

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Related content:

• Scream VII star Melissa Barrera dropped from film after posts about Israel-Hamas war

• Scream VII moving forward with Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon

• How the Scream VI filmmakers dealt with the absence of Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott
  

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