New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio, announced yesterday that he would not march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan next month, due to the organisers’ deliberate exclusion of LGBT groups.

De Blasio will be the first New York mayor in 20 years to not attend the parade, which is the one of the biggest events on the city’s calendar. He cites the organisers’ ban on pro-gay banners as the reason for his boycott.

“I am not planning on marching in the parade,” the mayor said in a press conference at City Hall, “I simply disagree with the organisers of that parade in their exclusion of some individuals in this city.”

Mayor de Blasio said that he intends to attend several other events around the parade that celebrates the Irish-American community in New York.

President of The Catholic League, Bill Donohue, commented on the mayor’s announcement saying,  “Personally, I am delighted. I do not want to march with a public official who does not want to be associated with Irish Catholics.”

The parade has taken place every March 17  for over 250 years. It is expected that over 1 million people will attend the 2014 event.