The Los Angeles premiere of “Scream 7” drew dozens of protesters outside Paramount Studios on Wednesday, many denouncing the firing of former star Melissa Barrera.
Organized by Entertainment Labor for Palestine, CODEPINK LA and Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles, the demonstration saw protesters carrying signs with pro-Palestinian messages and chanting, “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”
Per the organizers, Wednesday’s protest was meant to call “attention to the industry’s widespread silencing of pro-Palestinian voices and its whitewashing of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The decision to boycott the event also followed the 2023 termination of Mexican actress Melissa Barrera from “Scream 7,” who condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza by sharing an article that accused the country of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
At the time, Spyglass Media Group, the production company for the “Scream” franchise, said it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism” and fired her from the latest installment. The project later saw director Christopher Landon and co-star Jenna Ortega exit the project, with Neve Campbell returning to the franchise after a prior pay dispute.
“Barrera’s firing is a weaponization of labor,” Amin El Gamal, Chair of SAG-AFTRA’s National MENA Committee, said in a statement. “This repression is a direct extension of Hollywood’s long-standing anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism. Fans and entertainment workers alike are seeking meaningful accountability—not only for workplace discrimination like this, but also for our industry’s complicity in the apartheid and ongoing genocide.”
In addition to demonstrating outside the premiere, the Entertainment Labor for Palestine shared a number of calls for fans to boycott seeing “Scream 7” in theaters on social media.
Last week, the organization shared on Instagram, “‘Scream 7’ is about to hit cinemas, and Palestinian society is calling on you to boycott it. Back in November 2023, ‘Scream 7’ star Melissa Barrera was fired by the film’s production company after daring to speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza in a series of social media posts. Spyglass justified its decision by accusing Barrera of making ‘false references to genocide.’”
Organizer shared that the “Scream 7” boycott was initially launched by a grassroots group of “Scream” fans, noting it was now supported by over 30 arts and advocacy organizations, including Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), Film Workers for Palestine, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Artists Against Apartheid, Visualizing Palestine, Toronto Palestine Film Festival, Democratic Socialists of America, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, BDS Egypt, BDS Italy, BDS France, BDS Mexico, Bluestockings Cooperative, Mawjoudin Initiative for Equality, Austin Tan Cerca De La Frontera, Texas Equal Access Fund, Oceanside For Palestine, 2 Cents Critic Podcast, ACT UP Pittsburgh, Michigan Coalition Against Genocide, Labor for Palestine, Theater Workers for a Ceasefire, Cultural Network for Palestine and Palestinian Feminist Collective, among others.
“We believe that Melissa Barrera is a part of the ‘Scream’ community and that it’s our responsibility to speak out when a member of our community has been harmed,” Nino Testa, the “Boycott Scream 7” organizer and longtime fan, said in a statement. “We refuse to let the franchise we love be used as propaganda for a genocide. We reject Hollywood’s racist blacklisting and censorship of any person who advocates for a free Palestine.”
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