Melissa Barrera Responds To 'Scream' Firing, Says 'Silence Is Not An Option'

Melissa Barrera says her firing from the 'Scream' franchise won't silence her ... and she says she's not antisemitic.

The actress responded to her "Scream 7" ouster with a statement on her Instagram story, explaining why she's been so vocal about the war in the Middle East.

Of course, it was Melissa's IG stories that got her booted from the movie in the first place ... after the production company behind "Scream 7" deemed her comments hate-inciting and antisemitic.

In response, Melissa says ... "Silence is not an option for me."

She starts out by condemning antisemitism and Islamaphobia ... and speaks out against hate and prejudice against all people.

Melissa says her Mexican heritage makes her feel a responsibility to use her platform to "raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need."

She adds ... "I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism."

Remember ... Melissa got fired from "Scream 7" for her posts about Israel and Palestine, including one where she seemingly alluded to a long-standing trope about Jewish people controlling the media. In another post, Melissa compared Gaza to a concentration camp.

Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind her firing, says it showed her the door because ... "We have zero tolerance for antisemitism 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."