Melissa Barrera Voices Pro-Palestinian, 1300 Artists Demand Freedom Of Expression For Entertainment Actors

Melissa Barrera (screenshot)

JAKARTA - More than 1300 artists and actors signed a letter of support for censorship of artists talking about Palestine. This was done after Melissa Barrera was fired from production of Scream 7 after declaring herself Pr0-Palestinian.

This letter was released by Artists for Palestine UK on Thursday, November 30. A number of well-known actors and actresses such as Olivia Colman,principal Walter, Aimee Lou Wood, Maria McSweeney, Paapa Essiedu.

Then Youssef Kerkour, Nicola Coughlan, Lolly Adefope, and director Emma Seligman also voiced their support.

"This includes threats and targets from the lives of art workers expressing solidarity with Palestine, including canceling performances, screening, speech sessions, and book launches," reads one letter.

Melissa Barrera will not appear in the latest film of the Scream franchise. Since the Hamas terror attack on October 7 and the Israeli attack on Gaza. Melissa Barrera voiced support for Palestine in the midst of the war against Israel. He even shared the latest news and actively spoke out to social media followers.

Barrera's comments were considered antisemitic and incitement to hatred by the production house, so the production house thought they were intolerant of the actress's actions.

In addition to Melissa Barrera, the case of canceling the exhibition of artist Ai Wei in London after her posts on social media about Gaza, the dismissal of editor-in-chief David Velasco from the Artforum art publication; and Palestinian writer Adania Shibli was not invited to receive LiBeraturpreis awards at the Frankfurt book show.

"Freedom of expression, as stated in the Law on Human Rights and the European Human Rights Convention, is the backbone of our creative life, and a fundamental for democracy," he said.

The letter also contains calls for action in the arts sector such as expanding the work of Palestinian artists, demanding a permanent ceasefire, and rejecting collaboration with agencies involved in human rights abuses.

"If we remain silent when facing injustice and the worsening of the humanitarian crisis, then this is a violation of moral obligations," he said.