Ross Greer: ‘The energy was quite simply spectacular’

MARCHES are nothing new to me. In my few years of activism we’ve had plenty to march against; austerity, war and fascism amongst others.

Yesterday was unique, though, in that we had something to march for. Yesterday was all about the positives, all about the vision for the future and the hope for what independence can bring.

Historic is not an exaggeration. For the first time in my generation’s lives, those who support an independent Scotland have gathered in our thousands and the energy was quite simply spectacular. I had my concerns about the turnout, especially when I saw the frost on the windscreens when I got up in the morning, but by noon as the rally set off the sun was out and the Meadows were full of people of all ages, all races and from all across Scotland and much further afield.

I came across from Glasgow to Edinburgh in a car full of Yes Scotland materials, driven by Humza Yousaf, MSP, a Scottish Government minister and with Aamar Anwar, one of Scotland’s top lawyers beside us. This might sound like a slightly surreal experience, but the fact that it wasn’t shows how special this campaign and this day in particular was. It wasn’t a day for political parties or a day just for the big names on stage, it was a day for people.

The diversity of these people is the greatest strength of our campaign. Another passenger in that car was a young Green party member, a 15-year-old. If Westminster have their way, he will be denied his right to vote, unable to participate in the most important decision our country will ever take. I do not want to allow him to vote as a 17-year-old because I think he will vote yes. I want to lower the voting age because I believe it is his right to decide his own future and not one of us can take that away from him and that is the most important part of this campaign. This is a decision for the people of Scotland, it cannot be debated in the distance by politicians and the people that filled the streets yesterday have certainly shown that they do not intend on allowing that to happen.