Latest news with #AllUnderOneBanner
Glasgow Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Around 5000 march for independence through Glasgow
The event was organised by All Under One Banner (AUOB) — one of Scotland's most prominent pro-independence campaign groups. The march began at Kelvin Way and travelled through some of the city's busiest streets, concluding at Glasgow Green, where rally-goers gathered for speeches and live music. (Image: Calum Mckenzie) READ MORE: Can you help? Dog found wandering in Glasgow's West End A pipe band led the procession, followed by waves of Scottish Saltires, Palestinian flags, Pride banners, and the Lion Rampant, as demonstrators expressed calls for independence, solidarity, and social justice. (Image: Calum Mckenzie) (Image: Calum Mckenzie) At the tail end of the march, the YesBikers for Scottish Independence rode in from High Street, leading the procession through Saltmarket to the final destination. READ MORE: 'Horned and dangerous': Driver pulled over for bizarre modification (Image: Calum Mckenzie) Once at Glasgow Green, attendees relaxed on the grass, some with picnics, as they awaited addresses from pro-independence speakers and performances by Amanda Brown and The Ronains. The route covered a wide stretch of the city, passing through Gibson Street, Woodlands Road, Sauchiehall Street, Blythswood Street, Blythswood Square, West George Street, Nelson Mandela Place, George Square, George Street, High Street, and Saltmarket. AUOB continues to organise marches across Scotland, with supporters emphasising peaceful protest and public visibility in the ongoing campaign for independence.
The National
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish independence supporters must unite against Nigel Farage
Speaking to The National at All Under One Banner's Glasgow event on Saturday, Strathkelvin and Bearsden MSP Rona Mackay reacted to the rise of Reform UK and the importance of Scottish independence in response to it. She called the recent success of Nigel Farage's Reform Party in the English local elections 'worse than anybody could have imagined'. Mackay added: 'We're not going to have anything to do with it. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar 'shamefully silent' as Labour MPs demand 'change' from Keir Starmer 'It's not the way we want to go and words actually fail me when it comes to Nigel Farage.' Reform won 677 council seats in England's local elections this week, and Mackay called it 'worrying, the fact he's coming so close to power'. In addition to the party's first council wins, Reform also successfully won mayoral contests in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Farage said last week that Reform membership has gone up in Scotland, now reportedly at around 10,000 Scottish members. Mackay believes independence supporters, however, are 'clever enough' not to align with far-right ideology. She said: 'I don't believe any of our supporters will believe that's a good road to go down. 'I think they'll realise how divisive and bitter it is, so I don't think there's any danger of that, but we need to be united to fight it anyway.' Mackay also responded to Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill's comments on pro-independence parties putting 'country before party', saying: 'I think that's a thing we try to do anyway. 'As the party in government, obviously, you're dealing with politics, you're dealing with policies, but we're all united. 'We want independence — we've wanted it for decades, and we have to really stand together to get it now because we need it now more than ever.'
The National
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Thousands of independence supporters flood Glasgow's streets
Organised by All Under One Banner, one of Scotland's biggest independence campaigns, the rally left from Kelvin Way and made its way through some of the city's busiest streets, ending with an event at Glasgow Green. A pipe band led the march, with impressive displays of Saltires, Palestine flags and pride banners featuring the Lion Rampant following behind. The atmosphere was intense, with many participants feeling a sense of urgency as far-right ideologies become more mainstream and Scotland faces greater levels of poverty and unemployment — particularly in the wake of the Grangemouth oil refinery closure. READ MORE: John Swinney urged to put 'country before party' and join Independence Summit Iain Ferguson (below), 71, said: 'I think independence has always been important, but Britain is becoming an increasingly racist, vicious society. (Image: NQ) 'A lot of people placed their hopes in Starmer's Labour government, but actually, they're every bit as bad as the Tories. 'Now more than ever, with the disability cuts and the rise of Reform, we want to create a different kind of Scotland.' Helen Wilson (below), 70, said the loss of Grangemouth was particularly worrying when it comes to the question of independence. (Image: NQ) She added: 'John Swinney is a very nice, polite man, but he's too polite. 'He needs to rise up, he needs to speak out and get to Grangemouth — he was in New York for Tartan Week when he should have been down there, raising money to buy it back. 'Grangemouth should belong to us.' YesBikers for Scottish Independence led the end of the procession from High Street, through Saltmarket and to Glasgow Green. Participants were spread out on the grass in the sun, some with picnics, waiting for speeches from a number of pro-independence figureheads as well as performers like Amanda Brown and The Ronains. Corran Cobban, 18, and her brother Clyde, 16, have been attending independence rallies since they were children. Corran told The National: 'Independence is always going to be important, but the political landscape has changed a lot. 'I think a lot of people's opinions were shifted because of the EU referendum so I think we are owed another opportunity to show that we do want to be independent. 'It seems to be more of a background issue for Scottish politicians at the moment, and I think it needs to be pushed to the forefront and promoted more.' Eddy Graham (below), 54, called the need for independence a 'two plus two equals four, no brainer' issue. (Image: NQ) He added: 'Scotland's fucked without it. Why have we got such bleeding high energy bills when Scotland's such an energy rich country? Why is there so much poverty? Why are there so many social problems? 'These could all be solved, and Scotland could so easily be like Scandinavian countries, or even like Ireland where I'm originally from — a wealthy European country, member of the EU and everything that comes with that with a much more fair, balanced distribution of income.' SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden Rona Mackay (below) was the first speaker of the afternoon. Speaking to The National, Mackay called the rise of Nigel Farage and the far-right 'worse than anybody could have imagined'. She added that the independence movement was 'clever enough not to fall for that,' but they should remain 'united enough to fight it anyway'. Kenny MacAskill, leader of the Alba Party, spoke out earlier on Saturday, calling for the First Minister to host an independence summit and urged other pro-independence parties to put 'country before party'. In a conversation with The National, MacAskill furthered McKay's sentiments: 'Turnout is up, the sun is out and the movement is coming back together. 'We've been seeing a lot of rallies where the crowds have been going down but I think we've turned the tide now and I think that's important because a year from now we've got the Holyrood elections. 'We've got to make that a plebiscite election, we've got to maximise the votes for independence and we've got to take our chance now because what's coming down the line now from south of the border is frightening.' In his speech, MacAskill (below) thanked independence campaigners across the country, like All Under One Banner and Hope Over Fear for 'keeping the dream alive'. He said: 'This movement is back because the need is great and the time is now.' MacAskill called the closure of Grangemouth 'simply scandalous', adding that Scottish people deserve access not just to renewable resources, but also to the jobs 'that should be there'. He added: 'There is going to be no second referendum — the British government, Tory and Labour have made that clear, and Farage echoes it. 'The Supreme Court has ruled out the opportunity for us to use it, but that doesn't mean we do nothing. 'What it does mean, is we use the strategy Alex [Salmond] bequeathed us and we take our destiny into our own hands.'
The National
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Alba confirm Chris McEleny expelled for Kenny MacAskill comments
In February, it was announced that McEleny, who served as Alba's general secretary for the entirety of Alex Salmond's leadership, had been fired from his paid party position and that his membership was being reviewed. The National can reveal that following complaints made to the parties' conduct committee, McEleny has now been expelled from Alba. It is understood that McEleny's expulsion was in part due to his comments made in an interview with Sky News in the run-up to the Alba leadership election, where he said, 'Kenny will look back and regret some of the actions of the previous month'. READ MORE: John Swinney urges UK's biggest news agency to reconsider Scottish job cuts He also implied during the interview that the now Alba leader, Kenny MacAskill, was 'not acting rational' and that he was 'not fit to lead the party'. There had been claims by some members in Alba that MacAskill had been suspended from the party after accusations of bullying and harassment were levelled against him. However, MacAskill denied the bullying claims and said that the alleged attempt to suspend him were made by an 'individual acting outwith the limits of their powers'. It is understood that McEleny (below) has 21 days to appeal his expulsion if he wishes to do so, which he said he will 'consider' in the coming weeks. (Image: Colin Mearns) McEleny said: 'I'm obviously very upset to be expelled from the party Alex and I built to ensure that Scottish independence was delivered. 'I will consider an appeal over the coming weeks.' Speaking with The National at the All Under One Banner march in Glasgow on Saturday, MacAskill confirmed McEleny's expulsion from Alba. He said: 'That's a matter that the party has made a decision on. 'There's really no further comment I could make, there are democratic party procedures, and they've been followed.' MacAskill (below) added: 'There were complaints made, and they have acted upon him.' (Image: PA) A friend of Chris McEleny has criticised the party's decision, calling it a 'sign of weakness'. They said: 'It's ironic that Chris has been expelled from the party he and Alex Salmond created for saying he was going to write a book about Alex Salmond's life, and further on the same week Kenny MacAskill has been defending the right of the band Kneecap to shout pro Hamas slogans and to say Tory MPs should be killed, Chris has been expelled for saying something that hurt Kenny's feelings. They added: 'Perhaps he should wear a Saltire balaclava going forward and then he will be allowed to rejoin. This decision is an ultimate sign of weakness on the part of Alba's leadership. 'If Alex Salmond had adopted the approach of expelling people from the SNP that he didn't get on with then he would've expelled Kenny MacAskill several times over throughout a period of 20 years that Kenny briefed against him and was critical of his leadership to the press.'
The National
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
John Swinney urged to join Independence Summit by Alba
Alba party leader Kenny MacAskill has called on the heads of all of the main pro-Scottish independence parties to unite and take part in his party's summit ahead of the All Under One Banner (AOUB) March in Glasgow on Saturday. Earlier in April, Alba MSP Ash Regan called for a convention to be held a year out from the Holyrood elections, insisting that 'energy' needs to be rebuilt if independence is to be a 'realistic proposition' to voters. However, the SNP sidestepped Alba's call, and the Greens poured cold water on the proposal, saying the party has 'significantly different visions about what an independent Scotland would look like'. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar 'shamefully silent' as Labour MPs demand 'change' from Keir Starmer MacAskill has now written to the leaders of each of Scotland's pro-independence parties urging them to reconsider their decision following Reform UK's surge in the English local elections on Friday. He added that by attending the summit, all parties involved can help create a clear way forward for demanding and achieving independence. MacAskill (below) wrote: 'Scotland is crying out for Independence as sky high energy costs and the threat posed to the poorest and weakest in our society from Westminster's benefit cuts clearly demonstrates. (Image: Andy Buchanan/PA Wire) 'In the week when oil refining finally ended at Grangemouth with the loss of 400 jobs and it was revealed that 80,000 children in Scotland are living in severe poverty. And just yesterday, we witnessed the beginning of Farage's march to Downing Street. It is beyond doubt that Westminster rule is failing the people of Scotland. 'An urgent push for Independence is essential. The coming Holyrood election can be Scotland's Independence Election but it requires all pro-Independence parties to come together in a show of unity. 'We can disagree about the why of Independence but we can all agree on the urgent necessity of achieving Independence and begin to discuss and agree how we get there.' AUOB organisers said they expect around 5000 people to join the demonstration this Saturday, which will begin in the city's West End. The march will set off from Kelvin Way at 11.30am, moving through the city centre before ending at Glasgow Green. Organisers have encouraged demonstrators to bring banners, placards, megaphones, flags, pipes, and drums to create a lively and visible display of support for Scottish independence. At the rally, Alba's MacAskill is expected to call on other party leaders to agree to join the independence summit, as he said unity amongst the parties would be the bedrock towards the cause. MacAskill added: 'That is why I am writing to John and the other pro-Independence party leaders asking them to commit to taking part in an Independence Summit. 'Independence offers a better way for Scotland but we need to work together to achieve it. An Independence Summit can be the first step in charting a clear and positive way forward. 'Unity is strength, and must be the bedrock of the Independence cause. Let us unite the movement and come together in a show of unity. If we unite we will win!'
