Hundreds gathered in the centre of Aberdeen yesterday to show their support for a second independence referendum.
Crowds gathered at the Castlegate to welcome a group of marchers taking inspiration from The Proclaimers to walk 500 miles for the cause.
Starting earlier this month on the Isle of Skye, where they were joined by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, the group has trekked to Ullapool, Inverness, Nairn and Elgin.
Yesterday they marched from Ellon to Portlethen, arriving at their Aberdeen pit stop to cheers from the crowds of supporters.
Co-chairman of the Yes Aberdeen 2 group, Rory Macpherson, said: “The walkers are bringing the independence movement to all the far-flung communities in Scotland.
“And it was great to see so many folk come out.
“They passed through Fraserburgh and I heard some people there say it was the first time they had something like this near them in decades.”
The walkers will continue their journey this week, pausing at rallies in Forfar, Dundee, Stirling and Glasgow.
They are hoping to make their way to Edinburgh in time for the pro-independence All Under One Banner march in the capital on Saturday, October 6.
Mr Macpherson added: “It’s great to see these people putting in the effort to walk 500 miles. It’s very ambitious.”
The Yes Aberdeen 2 group says that Scotland has been “repeatedly ignored” by Westminster since the Brexit vote.
Its members say that, because Scotland did not vote to leave the EU, it warrants the granting of a second independence referendum.
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At the rally yesterday, student activist Paul Anderson encouraged people to get behind the cause.
He said: “We want our children to grow up in a Scotland with a safe and secure environment.”
Fellow activist, Fiona Robertson, also addressed the crowds with a rousing speech, saying: “We already are doing better (than the rest of the UK).
“Imagine what we could do with the full range of financial powers we could have.”
Not everyone wants Indyref2
While activists gathered in the north-east in favour of another referendum, other politicians were setting out the reasons why they disagree at the same time.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard yesterday said his party is committed to opposing such a move in its next UK manifesto.
He is expected to reinforce those comments later today when he gives a speech at the party conference in Liverpool.
It is anticipated he will tell delegates: “We don’t need another independence referendum to change Scotland, as far as I am concerned – we’ve just had one.
“The majority of people do not want one, and as we meet here this week with the prospect of a general election, I can make clear today that the next Labour manifesto will oppose another independence referendum.”
Last week UK leader Jeremy Corbyn echoed these sentiments, but also said he would not rule out granting the Scottish Parliament consent for another vote if he becomes prime minister.
He said: “We don’t want another referendum, we don’t think another referendum is a good idea, and we’ll be very clear on why we don’t think it’s a good idea.”