JUST one day after the climate strike protests engulfed the city, thousands of people once again took to the streets of Edinburgh yesterday to make their voices heard.

This time though, the protests were aimed at stopping Brexit.

With hundreds of banners and placards proclaiming ‘‘Stop the coup’’ and ‘‘stop Brexit’’, and even more European flags and saltires being flown, the colourful Edinburgh4Europe procession dominated the centre of the capital on a baking hot September afternoon.

The march, organised by the European Movement in Scotland, made its way from St Giles’ Cathedral down the historic Royal Mile in the heart of the capital to a rally outside a sun-soaked Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.

Marchers were joined by a raft of politicians, including SNP MP Joanna Cherry who has helped to lead legal action against Boris Johnson’s suspension of Parliament.

Earlier this month, the Inner House of the Court of Session ruled the UK Government acted unlawfully because it had the “improper purpose of stymieing Parliament” before the October 31 Brexit deadline.

On appeal, the matter is now being considered by the UK Supreme Court which is expected to deliver its judgment in the coming days.

After leading the marchers to Holyrood, Cherry was given a roaring ovation when she stood up to address the crowd outside the Scottish Parliament.

She told the crowd that she is “cautiously optimistic” that the UK Supreme Court will side with the Scottish judges, saying: “If they don’t [agree with the Court of Session decision] they will have said that it is acceptable under the British condition of a minority government to suspend parliament in order to get his way. As much as I’m a Scottish nationalist, I don’t think that’s what the British constitution should say.”

She continued: “I think it’s very much part of the conditional tradition that the monarch and the government are not above the law.”

Cherry, a QC, spoke of her pride in winning Court of Session case

and thanked all those involved in bring the case to the courts.

“Although I’m very proud to be the first petitioner, there’s an awful lot of other people in the mix. And that includes our fantastic legal team,” she added.

Cherry took aim at Boris Johnson in her speech, labelling the Prime Minister a “liar” and accusing him of acting like a “dictator”.

“He’s not just a liar, he’s behaving not like a prime minister of a democracy but like a dictator in a dictatorship,” she said.

“But the law in Scotland has caught up with him and I believe the law in the UK will catch up with him next week.”

There were several Johnson “lookalikes” on the march, as well as crude Nigel Farage and Donald Trump impersonators, while people waved signs with messages such as ‘‘Boris is Bad’’, ‘‘Strength in EUnity’’ and “For *U*K’s sake, stop Brexit’’. Another read: “Lives are at stake – no more posh boys” games.”

Accents from across the continent, including French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch, could all be heard among the crowd as EU nationals, fearful of their future in the UK, were drawn to take part in the march.

There was a small handful of quiet counter-protestors who held up signs, with one saying, ‘‘More Scots voted leave than SNP’’, but these were met with minor jeers and a cry of “it’s just not true”.

Almost all the main Scottish political parties were represented at Saturday’s march as Labour MP Ian Murray, the Scottish Government’s Europe minister Ben Macpherson, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton, and Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater all spoke at the rally.

The lack of a Conservative presence at the rally did not go unnoticed, however, with some speakers voicing their disappointment, but not surprise, at the party’s absence.

Cherry said: "I’m very proud that Scotland, and I’m not just talking about the SNP or the Scottish Government, but Scottish politicians from many parties - apart from perhaps one - have been at the forefront of the fight against Brexit."

Former diplomat and author of Article 50, Lord John Kerr, was one of the key speakers at the rally. He said this is "the most right-wing" government in his lifetime and issued another stark warning over Prime Minister Johnson.

"Truth and Johnson are strangers," he said. "Don’t be taken in, don’t trust Boris Johnson."

The People’s Vote campaigner added: "I believe that we will get our final say. I think I know what Scotland will say. Let’s go for it."

There was a strong showing from the Scottish Green party supporters at the rally, some of whom were revisiting the same spot they occupied during climate strikes the day before. The party’s deputy leader said in her speech that the EU could be "one of humankind’s greatest achievements" in its pursuit of peace on the continent.

"When Boris and his friends told us they wanted to leave the EU in order to rip up the red tape to make easier for business, what they meant is that they want to make life easier for rich men like themselves to get even richer," she said.

"So, I say to young people, don’t let these rich old men determine your future."