Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters marched outside a movie premiere in Los Angeles Screaming 7 Wednesday night.
Some demonstrators were seen waving Palestinian flags, while others were carrying signs reading “Cancel Paramount+” and “Solidarity with freedom of expression and boycott Scream 7.” The group could also be heard chanting, “Boycott Screaming 7“Free, free, free Palestine,” while some beat drums and trumpets.
The premiere was held in the Paramount Studios arena. However, the protests could only be faintly heard from the red carpet, where the film’s stars, such as Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, were posing for photos.
When director Kevin Williamson was asked about the protest at the premiere, he said Hollywood Reporter“I saw them and my heart kind of stopped. Look, we live in America. Everyone has the right to protest and they should be heard. And if you have your truth and if you want to stand up and have your voice heard, you protest. That’s your right in this country, and I support it. I support that 100 percent.”
SREAM 7 premiere: About 30 pro-Palestine protesters play drums and trumpets as they chant that David Ellison and Paramount support genocide and should be boycotted. pic.twitter.com/7B65oGlPaB
— Boris Kit (@Borys_Kit) February 26, 2026
The protest, led by Entertainment Labor for Palestine, CODEPINK LA, and Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles, was intended to draw attention to the industry’s widespread silencing of pro-Palestinian voices and whitewashing of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, according to a press release from CODEPINK LA.
More specifically, the protest was also in response to Melissa Barrera’s firing from Screaming 7 In November 2023 after she expressed her support for Palestine on her social media following Hamas’ invasion of Israel in October 2023.
Spyglass Media Group, the company behind Screaming “Spyglass’s position is unequivocally clear: We have no tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement to hatred in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that blatantly crosses the line into hate speech,” the franchisee said in a statement at the time.
The CODEPINK LA news release added that the protest was to “raise awareness about the boycott Screaming 7 The campaign urged audiences to refrain from supporting the film, which will be released on February 27.
“We believe Melissa Barrera is part of Screaming community and that it is our responsibility to speak out when a member of our community is harmed Screaming 7 Longtime organizer and fan, Nino Testa, shared in a statement. “We refuse to allow the franchise we love to be used as propaganda for genocide. We reject Hollywood’s racist blacklisting and censorship of anyone calling for a free Palestine.”
THR I reached out to Paramount for comment, but did not receive a response as of press time.
