Pro-Palestine Protestors Demand Scream 7 Boycott at Comic Con After Melissa Barrera Fired

Protestors showed up at San Diego Comic Con over the weekend and called for fans to boycott Scream 7 after Melissa Barrera was ousted from her role as Sam Carpenter for sharing pro-Palestine and anti-Israel messages on social media.

via: The Mirror

Pro-Palestine protestors gathered outside Comic Con on Friday to call for a boycott to Scream 7 after actress Melissa Barrera was fired for speaking out in support of Gaza.

The Mexican star, 35, found herself ousted from her role as Sam Carpenter in the famous horror film franchise due to her social media posts about the conflict, which included sharing a message accusing Israel of "genocide and ethnic cleansing." Production company Spyglass claimed the posts were anti-Semitic but after being fired, Melissa defended her comments, vowing she would "continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom."

This week, demonstrators from CODEPINK and Entertainment Labor for Palestine protested at Comic Con in San Diego, calling for a boycott to the film, which is produced by Spyglass Media Group and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The activist groups said they "stand firmly" with Melissa, calling her dismissal "an act of blacklisting that reflects Hollywood's broader efforts to silence voices for Palestinian human rights - especially those of women of color."

While Scream 7 wasn't featured at Comic Con, the protest coincided with panels for NCIS: Tony & Ziva and Blumhouse, targeting audiences connected to the horror genre and mainstream pop culture. In a message shared on social media, a protester explained, "We're here with CODEPINK today because we're saying to everyone here at Comic Con, the thousands of people that are here, we want them to boycott Scream 7.

"We want them to boycott Hollywood, and specifically Paramount here." The protestor, wearing a "Boycott Scream 7" t-shirt, said Melissa "did the right thing" as "she stood up for human rights, she stood up for Palestinians, and she said 'Free Palestine.'"

She added, "They ended up taking her out of the film and they decided to punish her for actually standing up for humanity, for Palestinians, in a very difficult industry that currently, right now, does not support, you know, Gaza, does not support Palestine. She was brave and she did the right thing." The protestor then repeated the group's calls to boycott Scream 7, before adding, "Free Palestine."

A spokesperson for Entertainment Labor for Palestine told The Mirror US that the group is calling for a boycott of Scream 7 while also calling out Spyglass for Melissa's firing, Paramount as the film's distributor as well as CBS media bias in report of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Miriam Arghandiwal, of Entertainment Labor for Palestine, said in a statement, "Scream 7 is a beloved series for many horror fans, myself included. Unfortunately, Spyglass ruined the fun when they targeted a woman of color and punished her for speaking up for Palestinian human rights. Discrimination of Palestinians, the targeting of women of color for speaking out for Palestine, and the wide-scale repression of free speech in Hollywood cannot be normalized, so we're calling for a boycott of the film."

After being fired, Melissa said she was devastated and felt as if her career had hit rock bottom. Post-Scream V and Scream VI, she experienced a professional drought, telling The Independent that for about "10 months" she struggled to land significant roles, shunning minor offers because they didn't ignite her passion for acting. In her words, "It was the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to re-evaluate everything."

"There were times where I felt like my life was over," she said. Barrera disclosed, "It was quiet for, like, 10 months. I was still getting offers for small things here and there – I'm not going to lie and say there was nothing – but [the message] was, like, 'Oh, she probably doesn't have work, she'll say yes to anything.'"

Rejecting parts that failed to excite her, she admitted, "I would get [roles] that I wasn't excited about, and I've never been a person that just wants to work for work's sake. I give so much of myself to acting that if a part of me feels like it's not worth it, I'm gonna be miserable." She added with candor, "Inside I'm constantly freaking out."

The In The Heights star has been vocal about her stance on the conflict in Gaza, calling for peace, but after accusing of Israel of of "genocide and ethnic cleansing," she was dismissed from the movie franchise. The production company cited their "zero tolerance" policy towards "hate speech" as the reason for her firing.

They said in a statement, "Spyglass' stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism 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." Following Melissa's exit, Neve Campbell, 51, the original star, returned as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7, which is scheduled for release on February 27, 2026.

This isn't the first time that protestors used their voices to send a strong message at Comic Con. In 2023, dozens of protestors gathered outside the convention center as part of the SAG-AFTRA strikes in order to have their voices heard.