Indyref march through Glasgow after Sturgeon's 'not going away' vow

Independence supporters have marched through Glasgow after Nicola Sturgeon insisted the Supreme Court ruling on indyref2 would galvanise the movement.

The All Under One Banner (AUOB) march made its way from Glasgow Green to BBC Scotland's HQ at Pacific Quay.

It followed a series of rallies around the country after Wednesday's ruling that an independence referendum cannot go ahead without UK government consent.

The FM plans to use the next general election as a de facto referendum.

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Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy has accused Ms Sturgeon of "behaving more like an ultra-nationalist than the first minister".

The Conservatives and Labour have rejected that idea of a de facto referendum, arguing that general elections are fought on a range of issues and not just the constitution.

All Under One Banner national committee member Patrick McCarthy said people were marching "to demand the right to democracy".

He added: "We believe that the decision of the Supreme Court was wrong and that the people of Scotland have the right to demand a referendum after the mandates we've had in the past.

"Going forward, eventually we believe that the Tories will give in."

A piper led the march through Glasgow

Ms Sturgeon has claimed that the independence campaign has been "strengthened" by the Supreme Court judgement, while her political rivals insist the ruling should mean issues like the NHS and the cost of living crisis must now be her priority.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's march, Ms Sturgeon said: "Wednesday's judgment from the Supreme Court has galvanised the Yes movement right across Scotland.

"Thousands of people took to the streets - in freezing Scottish winter weather - to demonstrate their support for Scottish democracy."

She added: "The inconvenient truth for Westminster is that, much as they would prefer otherwise, the Scottish independence movement is not going away.

"Indeed, it is growing. It is strengthening. And it is winning. Because it is now as much a democracy movement as an independence movement."

'Echo chamber'

Scottish Conservative Party chairman Craig Hoy criticised Ms Sturgeon for describing the independence cause as a fight for democracy.

He told BBC Scotland: "There is a very thin line between divisive language and dangerous language.

"Using the words that she is now, Nicola Sturgeon is behaving more like an ultra-nationalist than the leader of her party and the first minister, and I think she is getting very close to crossing that line.

"Nicola Sturgeon is operating in the SNP's echo chamber. At a point in time where the country want a first minister to be focused on the big issues - the cost of living crisis and the energy crisis - it is strange that she is turning in and simply talking to the SNP movement and not the country."

The SNP won 45% of the votes in Scotland at the last general election in 2019 while winning 48 of the 59 seats.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that the country is essentially split down the middle on the independence question, but with a very narrow majority in favour of staying in the UK.