The premiere of Scream 7 faced strong backlash on Wednesday night as all those protesters gathered outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The crowd called for a boycott of the film after actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise.
Everyone there at the protest were seen holding Palestinian flags as well, and they chanted slogans like “Stand for free speech” and “Cancel Paramount+.”
Many of them, however, said that they were showing support for Barrera and for Palestine.
The issue started after Barrera shared social media posts criticising Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s military response.
Production company Spyglass Media Group said that it has “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate” and said that her posts were the reason why she was removed from the movie.
Director Kevin Williamson spoke about the protest while walking the red carpet. He said that people have all rights to talk about during this difficult all over the world situations.
He, moreover, added that he was not sure if boycotting Paramount+ was right move to do and asked people to follow their own beliefs.
Barrera’s exit caused major changes behind the scenes. Jenna Ortega later left the project and director Christopher Landon also stepped away. Franchise star Neve Campbell has since returned to the film.
