‘Independence is coming’: Thousands march through Edinburgh in support of Scottish independence

Tens of thousands of people waved flags and sang songs as they marched through Edinburgh in a huge rally for Scottish independence on Saturday.

A broad range of groups and organizations who support Scotland leaving the United Kingdom attended the All Under One Banner (AUOB) demonstration which kicked off at 1pm local time.

Countless Scottish flags, as well as numerous kilts, bagpipes, pets, children and people in fancy dress, could be seen in the seemingly unending stream of marchers. The crowd sang songs and chanted pro-independence slogans as they walked from Holyrood Park up Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile.

The organizers had hoped that 100,000 supporters would attend the march, however their final tally suggested that they smashed that target, finding that over 200,000 people took part. Police Scotland said it was unable to estimate the number of participants.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon did not take part in the march but tweeted that she was with the marchers “in spirit”. “Have a great day. And be in no doubt - independence is coming,” she added. 

Scottish voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum. However, that came before the UK voted to exit the European Union. Scotland voted overwhelmingly against Brexit and many feel that it warrants a rerun of the independence vote.

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