On Feb. 7, the latest “Scream” movie came out, “Scream 7”. On Rotten Tomatoes, “Scream 7” has a whopping 31%, and on Letterboxd, it has a rating of 2.3 out of 5. But even before the newest “Scream” came out, it was already hit with controversy. 

On Nov. 21, 2023, Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream. This was a weird decision for the movie producers (Spyglass Media) to make, especially since Melissa Barrera plays Samantha Carpenter, one of the main characters in the new “Scream” movies. But Barrera spoke out about why she was fired. Unfortunately, Spyglass Media fired Barrera because of her stance on the Palestine and Israel conflict. Before Barrea was fired, she had made comments about being pro-Palestine and speaking out against Israel. And Barrera’s firing just started a domino effect of chaos. 

After Barrera left, Jenna Ortega announced her exit from “Scream.” It was originally said that she left the franchise because of scheduling issues with “Wednesday.” But Ortega spoke out on why she actually left, which was the fallout between Barrera and Spyglass Media. Ortega has also spoken out in support of Palestine, so her leaving makes sense. 

My main criticism of the whole “Scream 7” chaos is the reason for the firing of Barrera. Now, I can understand disagreeing with people over politics is human and that free speech means people will hold differing opinions. But the conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t politics; it is basic human rights. Israel has committed a genocide against Palestine. Children are suffering, not getting proper healthcare, and Palestinian citizens do not have proper shelter, and these are just some of the issues Palestinian citizens have faced. 

So, firing an actor from a project over speaking out and spreading awareness on the genocide of Palestine is sending a message that you don’t want violence and the hurting of innocent people to stop.