THE final All Under One Banner march for independence of 2018 will definitely go ahead next Saturday, despite Historic Environment Scotland’s decision to ban the rally element in Holyrood Park.
That decision looks to be backfiring with independence supporters threatening to organise a plethora of events in the park, with or without permission.
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Following the nationwide success of AUOB, with 60,000 marchers lining the streets of Glasgow, 10,000 in Dumfries, 20,000 at Bannockburn, 14,000 in Inverness and 16,000 in Dundee, organisers are now predicting as many as 50,000 people marching down the Royal Mile from 1pm next Saturday.
AUOB said it could even see “the largest public parade in support of an independent Scotland to be led by true grassroots activists who are united in the common goal of removing externally ruled governments from the country.”
As The National has reported previously, the rally segment is the only part of the event in doubt and AUOB is still looking for an alternative venue if Historic Environment Scotland (HES) continue to ban it on grounds that it is political.
Gary Kelly, AUOB organiser, explained: “The application for this event was placed way back in March this year, with the first meeting being on the 28th of August.
“At this meeting we informed the council of our plans to gather on Holyrood Park, the council and police stated would be a 5% chance of our plans being accepted. Out of respect, we had informed HES of our plans, but they continued to deny our enquiry, stating our event is political.
“Independence is not a political issue and instead is accepted by the Electoral Commission as a sovereign issue.
“It is clear that the sovereign people of Scotland are not pleased with HES’ assessment that the ground is not to be used as we have witnessed backlash across social media, with some stating they have cancelled their membership to the organisation due to the decision.
“Following the dismay, we’ve witnessed around 40 different events popping up on Holyrood Park planned for October 6, with some crazy names including; Jelly Shots, Haggis Tossing, Naked Ramblers Egg n’ Spoon Races, Time Capsule Digging and a Sovereign Scots Flag display. We’re sure they will all come together to ensure a very entertaining indy Saturday in the capital, all in the name of freedom.
“As we now expect numbers anywhere from an estimation of 50,000 we have contacted the council again to ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and Historic Environment Scotland to attend a meeting in the interest of public safety.”
The National understands that a meeting will take place on Tuesday.
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