Scottish independence supporters ready for first of eight major marches in 2020

Independence supporters will gather in Glasgow on Saturday for the first of eight major public marches planned across Scotland this year.

The All Under One Banner (AUOB) campaign group has called for participants to gather at Kelvingrove Park at 11.30am for what it has branded an "emergency march".

Oraganisers are supporting the SNP's calls for an IndyRef2 to be granted by Westminster following last month's general election result, which saw Nationalists win 47 of 59 seats in Scotland.

Saturday's event means AUOB will stage two major marches through Scotland's largest city this year - with another planned for May.

An AUOB event marches through Glasgow in 2019. Picture: John Devlin

Additional processions are also planned for Abroath, Glasgow, Peebles, Elgin, Kirkcaldy, and Stirling. The final march of 2020 is planned for Edinburgh on October 3.

AUOB is not officially endorsed by the SNP but several of its MPs and MSPs have attended its events in the past.

Pro-independence marches have become commonplace in Edinburgh and Glasgow in the years after the 2014 independence referendum, but opinion is divided on what impact they have on support on support for separation.

In a social media post, AUOB said: "We take to the streets in an emergency march that we called after the general election where Scotland's electorate rejected Westminster rule and gave a mandate to the SNP for an independence referendum.

"If we let the some Scottish rain stop us marching then we've no chance. The march is on."

Current forecasts predict heavy rain on the day of the event.