Actress Melissa Barrera, who recently lost her spot in the Scream franchise, joined a pro-Palestinian protest that shut down the Sundance Film Festival over the weekeend, with activists chanting “stop the genocide.”
Barrera had been joined by other celebrities such as Pose star Indya Moore, who took a microphone at one point to say that Israel has been murdering Palestinian children.
“I’m gay as — God forgive me — fuck. I love everybody. I love people. I have Israeli friends. I have Jewish friends. I have Palestinian friends,” said Moore. “Everybody sees what’s happening. They all agree, there needs to be a ceasefire.”
“Stop telling us to hate each other. Stop telling us they hate each other. They also know that the Palestinian children that have been murdered are not responsible for freeing the hostages right now. That’s just the truth, right? The children are innocent,” Moore said.
Barrera looked on as Moore continued the attack on the Israel-Hamas war.
“If you care about life, if you care about dignity, if you care about freedom, you care about the self-determination of everybody,” Moore continued. “This is about life. That’s why I’m here. I’m trans, right? It’s about love.”
Indya Moore and Melissa Barrera join a Free Palestine protest at #Sundance - via @chrissgardner pic.twitter.com/gNsRrt2rHD
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 21, 2024
As Breitbart News reported, Barrera ignited a firestorm of criticism when she not only referred to Gaza as a “concentration camp” but also accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” in its war against Hamas in retaliation for the horrific October 7 terrorist attack, which claimed around 1,200 lives, most of whom were civilians.
“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” she wrote. “Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
As noted by The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Barrera helped usher the Scream franchise into a new generation with the 2022 feature that “earned $137.7 million globally and combined generations of cast members from the franchise.”
“Barrera’s Sam Carpenter was the lead of that film, and the older sister of Jenna Ortega’s Tera. Barrera also starred in Scream VI, which was released in March and topped $168.9 million at the global box office,” added THR.
Barrera later said that she condemns all forms of anti-semitism.
“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” she wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram Story.
Citing her Latina-Mexican heritage, Barrera then said that she felt a responsibility to raise “awareness” about certain issues.
“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 said. “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,” she continued. “I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
