Scottish independence march ends with rally outside Holyrood

The event was one of a number of marches through Edinburgh on Saturday

A march and rally in support of Scottish independence has taken place in Edinburgh.

The procession, organised by All Under One Banner (AUOB), set off from Johnstone Terrace at about 12:30.

The Press Association reported that thousands had taken part in the event which ended with a gathering outside the Scottish Parliament.

It comes days after First Minister John Swinney urged the UK government to agree to a referendum on Scottish independence if the SNP wins a majority at next year's Holyrood election.

Organisers said the message of the march was one of "positivity and hope"

The event ended with a rally outside the Scottish Parliament

First Minister John Swinney had urged the UK government to agree to a referendum on Scottish independence

One of the event's organisers, Patrick McCarthy, explained the reasons for the march.

He said: "It is to further the cause of independence, we know this has been going on a very long time.

"After the referendum people were a bit deflated so AUOB came to the front and started to organise and every year we do this event - bar for Covid.

"The message is one of positivity and hope because we know that Scotland would be better as an independent nation.

"With all our resources and wealth and everything else we could manage very, very well."

When was the Scottish independence referendum?

On 18 September 2014 a referendum took place in which voters were asked the question: Should Scotland be an independent country?

Nearly 85% of the electorate went to the ballot box and the result was 55% against and 45% for.

Scottish independence supporters started their march from Johnstone Terrace

When a referendum took place in September 2014 Scotland voted against becoming an independent country by 55% to 45%

During the week, the first minister made his call for the UK government to agree to another referendum on Scotland's constitutional future if his party won a majority at next year's Holyrood election.

However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer predicted the SNP would not win a majority and accused him of "distraction politics".