Jenna Ortega called for a ceasefire in Gaza months after her former Scream VII co-star was fired for expressing support for the Palestinians.
The Wednesday star posted a photo of a Palestinian family sitting in a field of flowers smiling, apparently before the October 7 Hamas attack sparked Israel’s invasion.
‘Masses debating a ceasefire while thousands and thousands of children continue to be massacred. Where is humanity? », she wrote.
Ortega shared other pro-Palestinian content on his Instagram in recent days as Israel killed dozens of refugees in the Rafah bombings.
But this is the first time he has posted about the conflict on his main feed and written a statement about the situation.
Jenna Ortega called for a ceasefire in Gaza months after her former Scream VII co-star was fired for expressing support for the Palestinians.
Ortega’s former Scream VII co-star Melissa Barrera was booted from the horror film in November after making her own posts in support of Palestinians.
However, his were more provocative than Ortega’s and the production company Spyglass considered them “hate speech.”
“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” he wrote in an Instagram story.
‘Cornering us all together, with nowhere to go, without electricity or water… People have learned nothing from our stories.
‘And just like our stories, people continue to silently watch it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE AND ETHNIC CLEANSING.’
Ortega posted a photo of a Palestinian family sitting in a field of flowers smiling and asked ‘where is humanity’ in the bombings that are killing them.
Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in the film series, in other posts labeled Israel a “colonized” land and appeared to repeat an anti-Semitic trope about Jewish people’s control of the media.
“I also come from a colonized country,” he wrote, adding a Mexican flag. “Palestine will be free.”
In another post he complained that he had been looking for videos from a Palestinian perspective to share, but couldn’t find any on his feed.
‘The Western media only shows the (Israeli) side. Why do they do that? I’ll let you figure it out for yourself… Censorship is very real,’ he wrote.
Spyglass did not hold back in its condemnation of the actress when explaining why she was expelled from the film after presenting the two previous installments.
“We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or hate speech in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, distortion of the Holocaust or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” he said.
Ortega’s former Scream VII co-star Melissa Barrera was booted from the horror film in November after making her own posts in support of Palestinians.
Another post complained that they had been looking for videos from a Palestinian perspective to share, but couldn’t find any on their feed.
“I also come from a colonized country,” he wrote, adding a Mexican flag. “Palestine will be free.”
Director Christopher Landon, who has signed on to make the next film, distanced himself from the decision, saying, “The whole thing sucks.” Stop screaming. This was not my decision.’
Later, Barrera made another post saying that he “condemns anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.” He condemned hatred and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.”
However, he felt the need to use his platform and that everyone on Earth “deserves equal human rights, dignity, and of course, freedom.”
Since then, Barrera has shown no restrictions when publishing and sharing content about Gaza.
Ortega said nothing about Barrera’s posts and was not posting about Gaza at the time, but the next day he caused chaos in the film by walking out.
His management cited scheduling conflicts with Wednesday’s filming, but it was rumored to be about his salary.
Later, Barrera made another post saying that he “condemns anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.” He condemned hatred and prejudice of any kind against any group of people’
Barrera later told Rolling Stone that he was “at peace” with losing his place in the film and that it was too important to remain silent.
“I’m not the first person this has happened to, but it was shocking. I don’t even know what to say,” she said.
“I think everything that happened was very transparent, on both sides, and I know who I am, and I know that what I said always came from a place of love and a place of humanity and a place of human rights and a place of freedom for people, which should not be controversial.
‘It shouldn’t be up for debate. So I am very at peace. People who know me in my family know the truth about me and my position, and I think most people in the world know it too.’
Rolling Stone asked if Ortega would leave the next day: “I know reports at the time claimed she was already leaving, but that didn’t seem to be the whole story.” It seemed like there was some solidarity between brotherhoods.
Barrera responded: ‘Listen, Jenna is a good egg. She is a good person and we love each other. She would show up for me and I would show up for her no matter what.’