Krewe of Thoth Kicks Out 2 Members After Confederate Beads Thrown at Mardi Gras Parade

Two members have been removed from the all-male Krewe of Thoth for throwing beads emblazoned with Confederate flags, the club’s leaders said Monday, six years after removing another member for a similar incident.

Thoth Parade spokesperson Penny Larson, contacted Monday, said he removed a krewe member and the float’s lieutenant for going against the krewe’s policies that prohibit riders from throwing any items that are sexual, politically oriented or offensive, he said.

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Larson became aware of the incident after a paradegoer said he caught a bag of purple and gold Confederate flags beads and posted a photo of the offending throws on Reddit.

Mark Lambert of Memphis, Tennessee, said he and his friends were watching Sunday’s parade at the corner of St. Joseph Street and St. Charles Avenue when a rider threw him the beads.

Lambert, disgusted, threw the beads in the trash.

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Lambert said it’s a symbol that contradicts with the values of freedom and diversity that’s at the heart of New Orleans culture.

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In 2019, Thoth officials investigated an incident where someone threw blue and red beads featuring the word “Rebel” in front of a Confederate flag. That rider was removed from the krewe.

Last year in Kenner, a rider from the Krewe of Isis reportedly tossed beads displaying the flag of the Confederacy with the words “Southern Pride.” Identical beads were thrown during the Cleopatra parade in 2022.