The Israel-Gaza war has caused a massive drift in Hollywood as actors, directors, producers have all become confused on what side to take causing immense polarisation.
A result of this polarisation has been the firing of actress Melissa Barrera from the set of ‘Scream 7’ due to her support for Palestine.
As the actress had referred to Israel as an aggressor, occupier, and a coloniser in her social media, the production company Spyglass behind the upcoming film fired her from the set, and currently she is being re-casted, as per 'The Hollywood Reporter'.
Talking to 'Variety', the company said that their decision to fire Barrera was due to her anti-Semitic remarks, stating: “Our stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism 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."
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Barrera for her part hasn’t deviated from her stance, taking to her Instagram to give her continued support to Palestine which has earned her even more flak, with some even dubbing her a terrorist sympathiser.
Back in October 27, she appealed to people to join her in asking the White House to stop Israel: “We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Palestine and Israel."
She added, "Please join us in demanding that Congress, @POTUS, and other world leaders call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it.”
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Likewise, actor Tom Cruise has faced a lot of flak when he saved his agent from the Creative Artists Agency from being fired due to her outright comments against Israel, in which she said that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, IDF forces have been relentlessly bombarding Gaza. Some of these even include public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and mosques.
As such, the IDF has fired rockets and used their F-15 and F-16 aircrafts to fire missiles.
In addition, they have also commenced ground operations blocking supply lines, access points.
