Hundreds of people have gathered in Inverness to express their disappointment at the IndyRef2 ruling.
This morning, the Supreme Court ruled Holyrood does not have the power to hold a referendum without Westminster’s approval.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had planned to hold an independence referendum on October 19, 2023. Now she will have to go back to the drawing board, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unlikely to agree to let it go ahead.
For many across the country, this decision was a demonstration of how little say Scotland has in decisions made by the UK Government – despite being heavily impacted by them.
‘What do we want?’
Campaigners from Inveryess gathered in Falcon Square from 9.30am on Wednesday, with numbers reaching their hundreds by 6pm.
Saltires flew high above the group as Judith Reid from Inveryess was the first to address the crowd: “What do we want?”
“Independence.”
“When do we want it?”
“Now.”
People of all ages stood together and shouted into the night, a selection of kilts was dotted among the crowd. Each speaker was met with cheers and applause as they had their say.
United against the union
The feeling in Falcon Square was one of united anger and frustration, with each speaker saying they would team up with people of any political alignment to strengthen the fight for independence.
Steve Arnott, editor of online political magazine The Point, said he would “march with anyone who will march with [him]” for a “better Scotland, a fairer Scotland, a more just Scotland, a more sustainable Scotland.”
Speaking to the crowd, he asked people if they were angry and was met with an almighty “yes”.
“We have been told that our freedom, our right to choose, is not a matter for us but a matter for people from another country, elected by another country,” he said.
“That should offend anybody with a degree of a democratic or ethical bone in their body.”
A few heckles made their way through the crowd, but the speakers remained committed to their cause.
Mr Arnott added he would be “devastated” if a referendum does come and Scotland had voted against independence, but said “at least it will be democracy”.
Speaking out
Many campaigners held placards and banners reading “freedom to decide” and “it’s Scotland’s choice” as well as lighting up the night with flashing lights and lanterns.
Jane Loveland from Yes Elgin was visibly emotional as she called the Scots “prisoners of Westminster”.
She said she hadn’t spoken in public before but was driven to by how angry she is following the Supreme Court’s decision.
“We all need to up our game, come out of our comfort zones,” she said.
“This is me today, I’m terrified at having to speak as I’ve never done this before. We all need to do as much as we can.”
She added: “Our immense resources are to continue to be exploited for England’s benefit. I’m a Scot and I want to be heard.
“We now know we do not live in a democracy.”
‘We need to make nuisances of ourselves’
Dave Thompson, who was a Highland MSP from 2007 to 2016, said he started campaigning for independence back in 1965, feeling Scotland is “shackled” by the UK Government.
He urged the crowd to “make 2023 the year of independence”.
“We’ve got to get out and campaign week in and week out, day in day out. We’ve got to raise the ante, we’ve got to make sure they notice us.”
He added: “We are not going to get our independence from being nice and asking Westminster to allow us to have our say, we’ve got to take it.”
Graham Bell from Inveryess had already lost his voice after shouting throughout the day, being “absolutely angered by the decision”.
He agreed that ramping up campaign visibility was the way forward.
He managed to say: “We will drive this forward. From now on, we’ll go out on the streets, we’ll do stalls, we’ll go chapping doors and speaking to people and we’ll make nuisances of ourselves.”
After meeting in the square, the group moved on to the Town House to join campaigners from Aye Inverness.
Elsewhere in the country, groups lined streets in Aberdeen, Inverurie, Fort William, Skye, Perth and more to express their distaste at today’s decision.
Conversation