Pride in Protest activist float barred from Sydney Mardi Gras hours before parade
The 2026 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was marred by controversy after an activist group was banned from participating in the parade hours before it took place in Sydney, Australia.
Organisers excluded grassroots collective Pride in Protest from the event after a series of social media posts were deemed to breach the festival’s code of conduct. The posts, which had criticised and labelled another parade group as “pro-genocide”, were judged to be offensive and contrary to the values of inclusion and respect that Mardi Gras seeks to uphold.
In a statement, Mardi Gras chief executive Jesse Matheson said the group had been formally warned on Friday morning and given a deadline to remove or retract the posts. When no satisfactory response was received, the board decided to withdraw Pride in Protest’s float from the procession.
The social media posts targeted Dayenu, a Jewish LGBTQ+ community organisation that had initially signalled concerns about safety ahead of the parade before deciding to march for the 26th time. Pride in Protest alleged the group was “pro-genocide” and used language that Mardi Gras organisers described as intimidating and in breach of the event’s terms and conditions.
The decision prompted a spontaneous rally in Sydney on Saturday afternoon, with around 100-200 supporters of Pride in Protest gathering outside Town Hall to protest the exclusion and what they described as “censorship”.
Responding to criticism, Mardi Gras organisers stressed that the move was about ensuring the safety and dignity of all participants, not suppressing political views. They reiterated that targeting another group within the LGBTQ+ community was unacceptable within the parade’s framework.
Despite the dispute, the Mardi Gras parade went ahead as planned on Saturday evening with hundreds of floats and thousands of marchers celebrating diversity, pride and community along Oxford Street.
Security was heightened across the city following a terror attack in Bondi late last year, with police maintaining a strong presence to reassure both spectators and participants.
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