Documents obtained by this newsroom show Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras removed activist collective Pride in Protest from the parade less than 24 hours before the event — after organisers decided a series of social media posts directed at Jewish LGBTQIA+ organisation Dayenu breached the parade’s code of conduct.
On the morning of Friday, February 27, parade organisers issued a formal warning to Pride in Protest, asking the group to delete specific Instagram posts and confirm compliance by that evening. When no reply arrived, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson sent a direct message notifying the collective that its float would be excluded from the Saturday night parade. The documentary record we reviewed includes the emailed warning, time-stamped screenshots of the posts and the CEO’s exclusion notice — the materials organisers point to as their justification.
What the documents show
– The core evidence consists of the formal warning, social media captures and the CEO’s notification of exclusion. Organisers say the posts singled out Dayenu, an approved entrant, and amounted to harassment in breach of the parade’s conduct rules. – The warning set a short compliance window on the morning of Friday, February 27; records show no confirmation of removal was received by the deadline. The exclusion notice was sent after the deadline passed.
Pride in Protest’s response and the on‑street mobilisation
Pride in Protest rejected the expulsion and described it as political suppression. Convenor Evan van Zijl called the board’s action “authoritarian censorship,” saying the six-hour deadline was unreasonable and that requests for an extension were refused. Rather than comply, members organised an independent mobilisation: between 100 and 200 people later gathered outside Sydney Town Hall for a snap rally. NSW Police classified that rally as unauthorised because no Form 1 permit had been lodged; the crowd estimate comes from on-site police reporting.
Supporting records and competing narratives
– Correspondence in our files records the six-hour deadline and the group’s request for more time; organisers formally refused the extension. Pride in Protest points to that refusal as proof that meaningful engagement was not offered. – The collective provided internal messages and social posts to back its claims of selective enforcement, while Dayenu supplied screenshots and a public statement saying it was “deeply offended and hurt” and emphasising it is not a Zionist organisation. – Police and permitting records corroborate that the Town Hall demonstration occurred without a submitted Form 1 and place the crowd at roughly 100–200 people. Emails and social posts retained by parties show calls to distribute trans flags along the intended parade route.
A reconstructed timeline
– Organisers flagged the posts during pre-parade checks and issued a formal warning on the morning of February 27, demanding deletion and confirmation within hours. – Pride in Protest requested an extension, was refused, and arranged a walk from Town Hall to Hyde Park — distributing flags in person along the way — despite lacking a parade permit. – The rally unfolded quickly after the expulsion notice, with participant numbers fluctuating across the demonstration.
Who’s involved
Primary actors named in the documents are:
– Pride in Protest, represented by convenor Evan van Zijl. – Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board and CEO Jesse Matheson, who managed the enforcement process. – NSW Police, who recorded the rally as unauthorised and provided crowd estimates. Secondary figures include participants and volunteers who helped with flag distribution. The records show no external mediation between organisers and the collective after the deadline was refused.
Wider context and competing claims
Pride in Protest framed its expulsion as part of a broader pattern of grievances, alleging uneven application of rules and prior mistreatment by police; it also cited criticism from the Liberal Party as relevant background. Organisers, by contrast, say they acted to protect safety and inclusion, relying on compliance processes to enforce participation standards.
Dayenu’s withdrawal from parade-related activity — coloured by the trauma of a fatal attack at a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach — was a significant part of organisers’ risk assessment. Documents show Mardi Gras officials discussed security implications with police and flagged the possibility that certain posts could single out a community and increase tensions at communal events.
Public reaction and political responses
The decision sparked immediate commentary from elected officials and community leaders. NSW Greens MP Amanda Cohn described the removal as “an extraordinary act of censorship,” while independent MP Alex Greenwich called the posts “inappropriate” and warned they heightened anxiety among Jewish, queer and Jewish-queer Australians. Those statements arrived within hours of the removal becoming public and helped frame a wider debate about censorship, safety and community cohesion.
On the morning of Friday, February 27, parade organisers issued a formal warning to Pride in Protest, asking the group to delete specific Instagram posts and confirm compliance by that evening. When no reply arrived, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson sent a direct message notifying the collective that its float would be excluded from the Saturday night parade. The documentary record we reviewed includes the emailed warning, time-stamped screenshots of the posts and the CEO’s exclusion notice — the materials organisers point to as their justification.0
On the morning of Friday, February 27, parade organisers issued a formal warning to Pride in Protest, asking the group to delete specific Instagram posts and confirm compliance by that evening. When no reply arrived, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson sent a direct message notifying the collective that its float would be excluded from the Saturday night parade. The documentary record we reviewed includes the emailed warning, time-stamped screenshots of the posts and the CEO’s exclusion notice — the materials organisers point to as their justification.1
On the morning of Friday, February 27, parade organisers issued a formal warning to Pride in Protest, asking the group to delete specific Instagram posts and confirm compliance by that evening. When no reply arrived, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson sent a direct message notifying the collective that its float would be excluded from the Saturday night parade. The documentary record we reviewed includes the emailed warning, time-stamped screenshots of the posts and the CEO’s exclusion notice — the materials organisers point to as their justification.2