INDEPENDENCE activist Gary Kelly is to stand trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court later this year on two charges.
The case arises from the All Under One Banner (AUOB) march in the city in August 2019, for which he was the named organiser.
Kelly, who has since left AUOB to co-found Yes2indee, is the second person to face charges over marches and rallies for independence. Manny Singh was jailed for 72 days for his part in the organisation of the march in Glasgow in May 2019.
READ MORE: AUOB's Manny Singh fears loss of livelihood after conviction
In Aberdeen, where thousands took part in the march, Kelly is facing two charges under Section 651C of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 which concern “a person who holds a procession in public otherwise than in accordance with a condition imposed by an order”.
It is alleged that Kelly did not acquire a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) and seek a fully approved traffic management company road closure to be in place during the procession.
The second charge is that he did not have proper public liability insurance in place which was reported to be a condition of the march approval granted by Aberdeen City Council for August 19, 2019.
The council also imposed a change of route at the last minute, but independence supporters were still able to march down Union Street in the city centre. The march passed peacefully and there were no arrests.
Since that march, Kelly, 46, has become the father of a child.
A crowdfunder was started to help pay for his legal expenses, but with the trial coming more than two years after the march, Kelly is reported to be running out of money.
Kelly told The National he will continue to plead not guilty and will cite the right to protest as guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article