20,000 rally for Scottish independence as Brexit looms
Voters in Scotland backed remaining in the EU by a significant margin in a 2016 referendum
Some 20,000 people marched through Edinburgh on Saturday calling for Scottish independence, officials said, less than six months before Britain’s planned departure from the European Union.
Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to outline her plans for another independence referendum “when the terms of Brexit become clear”.
An announcement was widely expected at the party’s conference next week, but with Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels deadlocked she has warned she may delay her plans until later in the year.
Voters in Scotland backed remaining in the EU by a significant margin in the 2016 referendum and Sturgeon has remained a vocal opponent.
Prime Minister Theresa May has refused to permit another independence vote, which must be authorised by parliament in London, complicating Sturgeon’s desire to stage a poll before Britain is due to leave the EU next March.