"We are running for the board election because we want to bring a different kind of politics that actively supports struggles, campaigns and movements against injustice." It has called on Mardi Gras members to vote on a motion saying Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and "any party he leads", is homophobic. Evan Gray, Salem Barrett-Brown and Holly Brooke are Pride in Protest candidates in this year's election for the Mardi Gras board. Credit:Louise Kennerley But Pride in Protest, which is not attempting to ban the Labor Party, has been denounced as an "extreme left-wing group" and a threat to Mardi Gras. A letter signed by 70 leading members of Mardi Gras and sent to members said the motions proposed by Pride in Protest will "undermine the organisation and send it bankrupt".

"We are writing to you because of this threat and to ask you to take action to prevent our beloved and iconic Mardi Gras being hijacked by a group that wants to use the organisation to advance their own political agenda and not for the good of the LGBTQI community," the letter said. The letter said the motions, if passed, would be disenfranchise a large number of supporters: "Not everyone likes political parties marching in the parade, in this instance the Liberal party, but these are members of our community and who are we to discriminate against others?" Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, pictured with wife Lucy, marched in the 2016 Mardi Gras parade. Trent Zimmerman, the Liberal member for North Sydney, said the Mardi Gras would be "severely diminished" if it bans the Liberal Party and police from the parade. Mr Zimmerman said he was "particularly angry" about the attempt by Pride in Protest to ban members of the police and armed forces from next year's parade.

"I'm very disappointed at the actions of what is obviously an extreme left-wing group within the Mardi Gras community," he said. "An event that is about tolerance will be severely diminished if it shows such intolerance towards organisations that are promoting Mardi Gras and its objectives." Loading More than 150 people attended Pride in Protest’s campaign launch earlier this month, and the group’s social media page has more than 1000 "likes", Ms Brooke said. "We have received an outpouring of support from Mardi Gras members who are otherwise unknown to us." Ms Brooke also accused Mardi Gras of developing ties with corporations that do "abominable things". "Qantas routinely deports queer refugees to countries where they face torture and death," she said. "ANZ invests more in the weapons industry than any other Australian bank, with over $2 billion invested."

A spokesman for ANZ said it had been a "proud partner" of the Mardi Gras for almost 10 years. He said the bank conducted "enhanced due diligence" for sensitive sectors such as military equipment and energy and on key issues, including human rights. A Qantas spokesman said the company had been associated with Mardi Gras for almost 20 years. "The government and courts are best placed to make decisions on complex immigration matters, not airlines," he said. Candidates contesting the board election have also expressed concern about Pride in Protest.

Katherine Wolfgramme said the group would "destroy" Mardi Gras if it was successful. Loading "Unfortunately a political movement wishes to force all the letters of the LGBTQI community to fight in their name, and speak on our behalf without our permission," she said. "This is a form of fascism, and I definitely do not support anarchy or a queer agenda that only wants to destroy any form of authority for no other reason except attention." Louis Hudson said the group was seeking to take over the board of Mardi Gras and did not consider other points of view.