Thousands take part in Scottish independence march

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

Thousands of people have taken part in a march through Edinburgh in support of Scottish independence.

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

It ended with a rally 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

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."

During the week, the first minister made his call for the UK government to agree to a referendum 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".