Scream star fired and Susan Sarandon dropped by talent agency for pro-Palestine remarks

Several prominent entertainers and actors have suffered professional repercussions for voicing their support for Palestine, in the midst of horrific violence and loss of life in Gaza.

Melissa Barrera, who stars in the revival of popular horror franchise Scream, has been fired from the upcoming Scream 7, due to the Spyglass Media Group interpreting her pro-Palestine social media posts as "antisemitic".

Last month, Barrera posted on her Instagram Story: "I too come from a colonized country" alongside a Mexican flag emoji – as well as "Palestine WILL be free", followed by a Palestinian flag. She concluded the Story with the quote: "They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds."

More screenshots of Barrera's Instagram Stories have been shared online:

Almost all of Melissa Barrera’s IG Stories about Palestine: A thread. pic.twitter.com/DjrbJWt6RQ

— Sam Carpenter TGS stands w/ Melissa Barrera (@OoXLR8oO) October 22, 2023

In a statement published by Variety, a spokesperson for Spyglass stated that the company has "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."

Meanwhile, Academy Award-winning actor Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her talent agency, UTA, after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally this week, Deadline reports.

Her remarks at the rally included: "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country."

This week, Lankum also had a gig – which was part of the TransCentury Festival – cancelled in Leipzig, Germany.

The Mercury Prize-nominated Irish group have posted regularly in support of the Palestinian people, and are set to play the 3Arena on November 28, to help raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians. In a statement released on Instagram, the festival remarked that "Lankum represents a political stance that we as a venue and festival do not represent... In consultation with the artists, we have agreed to cancel the concert."

Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal for a four-day ceasefire this morning. Over 14,000 people are believed to have been killed in Gaza, with around 2,700 more missing.