The booted 'Scream' star and the transgender actress are seen among anti-Israeli protesters who shut down Park City's Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival.
- Jan 22, 2024
AceShowbiz - Pro-Palestine supporters turned the attention to the conflict in the Middle East amid the spotlight on the Sundance Film Festival. On Sunday, January 21, Hollywood stars Melissa Barrera and Indya Moore joined protesters on a rally that shut down Main Street in Park City, Utah.
The protesters, who marched while chanting "free Palestine" and "stop the genocide," brought the traffic to a complete half on a busy Sunday afternoon as the demonstration spilled off the sidewalk into the street, forcing Park City police and other law enforcement to shut down the road. "This could be a couple of hours, but we don't want anyone hurt," one officer on the scene said to Deadline.
The group of about 100 "Let Gaza Live" protesters chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!" and "We are tired of funding Israel! Shame on Israel!" while holding signs that read, "Butcher Biden," "De-platform Zionism" and "Intifada Everywhere."
Countering the protesters' chants, passersby at the festival were heard yelling "Bring them home" at the protesters in reference to hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas the past three months. Another passerby shouted, "Go home!" to the protesters.
"Pose" star More, who was in town for the Sundance premiere of "Ponyboi", took the microphone at one point to say, "I'm gay as - God forgive me - f**k. I love everybody. I love people. I have Israeli friends. I have Jewish friends. I have Palestinian friends. Everybody sees what's happening. They all agree, there needs to be a ceasefire. Stop telling us to hate each other. Stop telling us they hate each other. They also know that the Palestinian children that have been murdered are not responsible for freeing the hostages right now. That's just the truth, right? The children are innocent."
The transgender star continued as Barrera looked on, "If you care about life, if you care about dignity, if you care about freedom, you care about the self-determination of everybody." She added, "This is about life. That's why I'm here. I'm trans, right? It's about love. Free Palestine is about equality for everybody."
Meanwhile, Barrera previously voiced her support for Palestine via social media, which led to her being dropped from "Scream VII", also written as "Scream 7". She is in Park City for the premiere of her new film "Your Monster".
Sundance issued a statement regarding the protest, stressing that it had no connection to the rally. "While the organizers are non-affiliated with the festival itself, the safety and security of our festival goers is always of concern to us, and we consistently work with local law enforcement to uphold an environment that is welcoming, inspiring, and secure for all our attendees," the statement read.
