Julie Bindel, a women’s rights campaigner and journalist, was escorted out of Pride in Surrey on Saturday after she said she began questioning the Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, Zoe Franklin, about the festival’s co‑founder, Stephen Ireland, who was convicted earlier this year of raping a 12‑year‑old.
Bindel told the Daily Mail that she had been recording for a podcast and had paid for a ticket when she interviewed Ms Franklin. She said Ms Franklin initially answered questions but then spoke with event officials, after which security approached Bindel and her producer and asked them to leave. In a clip posted by Bindel on X, a security officer wearing a tattoo is heard telling the pair to leave while other officers in high‑visibility vests flank them.
Bindel said the officers told her the organisers did not want her at the event and that she was being removed because her questions were "making people uncomfortable." She said she had earlier interviewed the mayor of Guildford, who had answered questions without incident, and that she was told by security, "we know who you are and the organisers don't want you here." Bindel said she has contacted lawyers about the removal and that it was the first Pride she had attended in 25 years.
Bindel has been a prominent critic of gender ideology. She told the Daily Mail she was asking Ms Franklin about Ireland and perceived safeguarding shortcomings at Pride in Surrey following his conviction. Ms Franklin did not respond to the account included in the Daily Mail report, and the paper said it had contacted both the MP and Pride in Surrey for comment.
Ireland, a co‑founder of Pride in Surrey, was convicted in July of raping a 12‑year‑old boy after meeting him via the dating app Grindr, according to court records. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison. David Sutton, a volunteer with Pride in Surrey and a co‑defendant, was sentenced to four and a half years.
Pride in Surrey issued a statement after the convictions describing the men’s actions as "utterly appalling" and saying Surrey Police had "made it explicitly clear that there are no concerns with our organisation's structure, people, or safeguarding policies." Surrey Police’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, said the force "just aren’t in a position to take a view like that on a third party organisation of any kind," according to reporting on the controversy.
Earlier this year, Surrey County Council withdrew its official support for Pride in Surrey, saying it did not believe the event to be "truly representative" of the whole LGBTQ+ community after concerns were raised. Terence Herbert, chief executive of Surrey County Council, said the council continued to support the LGBTQ+ community but did not believe the event represented the whole community. Charlie Watts, chief executive of Surrey Pride, described the council’s reasoning as "confusing."
Labour MP Rosie Duffield publicly condemned the treatment of Bindel and offered support, saying she stood with the journalist. Bindel said she was uncertain whether her removal was related to her gender, her sexual orientation, or her gender‑critical views.
Footage of the exchange circulated on social media after the event, where Bindel, who counts more than 130,000 followers on X, posted the clip. The Daily Mail reported that it had contacted Ms Franklin and Pride in Surrey for comment. Pride in Surrey’s public statement after the convictions reiterated its condemnation of the crimes and defended its internal safeguards.
The incident adds to ongoing scrutiny of Pride in Surrey since the convictions of two men associated with the charity. Organisers, local politicians and community leaders have faced questions about safeguarding processes, organisational oversight and how voluntary groups address allegations against former or current members. Surrey County Council’s withdrawal of support and subsequent public statements by local officials underline the reputational and governance challenges facing the event as organisers prepare for future activities.
Bindel said she intended to pursue legal advice about her removal and called for broader scrutiny of the charity’s handling of safeguarding concerns. The matter remains the subject of public debate in Surrey and within wider conversations about how community organisations respond to criminal convictions of associated individuals.