Protesters march against Trident in Glasgow

The campaigners were led through Glasgow's city centre before holding a rally in George Square

Hundreds of protesters have joined MSPs and union leaders at a march in Glasgow against nuclear weapons.

Organisers, the Scrap Trident Coalition, led campaigners through Glasgow city centre before holding a rally in George Square.

Campaigners want to see the UK government dispose of nuclear weapons.

The Trident missile system, Britain's nuclear deterrent, is carried by submarines based at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde, near Helensburgh.

Police say up to 1,000 protesters were at the march, which is part of a weekend of events with workshops remaining in George Square on Sunday.

Some activists aim to stage a further protest on Monday by forming a blockade outside Faslane.

The Scrap Trident Coalition said 29 MSPs supported their campaign.

'Profound evil'

The SNP backs the removal of Trident from Scottish waters but changed its policy last year to support membership of Nato, in the event of a Yes vote in the referendum in September next year.

Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie said: "A debate led by the Scottish Greens in the last session of parliament resulted in a historic vote against the renewal of Trident and we continue to call for communities reliant on military jobs to be helped to diversify.

"It is vital that those of us who want to see Trident scrapped also make the case against outdated overblown military budgets and pro-nuclear clubs like Nato.

"An independent Scotland that took a different tack from the UK would send a very powerful message to the international community about the folly of military aggression."

Former MSP Tommy Sheridan joined the protest in Glasgow

The president of teachers' union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, Susan Quinn, will attend the rally.

She said: "The EIS is a long-standing affiliate of the campaign for nuclear disarmament and are happy to support any opportunity to raise issues around Trident.

"We see the ongoing funding of this project as a waste of public money especially in times of harsh cuts to spending in all areas of the public sector."

Meanwhile, the Church of Scotland's Sally Foster-Fulton, convener of the church and society council, sent a message of support ahead of the march.

She said: "The Church of Scotland has been against nuclear weapons and in favour of unilateral disarmament for over four decades.

"Scotland stands at a pivotal place in history and regardless of the outcome of the referendum, now is the time to discuss, debate and decide what kind of nation we want to be - what kind of nation we want to leave as a legacy to our children and theirs.

"Is a world burdened with the scourge of nuclear weapons a place we want to live in and leave behind? They are a profound evil and their potential for irretrievable harm is immense."