TWO more speakers have been announced for The National’s rally for independence in Glasgow’s George Square on Saturday.

Valentina Servera Clavell will bring an international element to the event – the 20-year-old from Catalonia is now resident in Scotland.

Suzanne McLaughlin, board member of Women for Independence, will also be on stage to speak alongside First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, National columnist Paul Kavanagh, SNP MP Mhairi Black and comedian, author and playwright Janey Godley – and we will announce more speakers and entertainers later this week.

The General Election having been called, it is sure to play a part in proceedings, but The National emphasises this is not a party political event and many shades of the Yes movement will be represented. Organised by Sunday National editor Richard Walker and part-funded by the Scottish Independence Foundation, the rally will commence at 1.30pm on Saturday in George Square and should last about two hours.

The National:

Clavell started in politics at the age of 15, and through her Catalan party ERC, met Young Scots for Independence.

Thanks to meeting the Scots, she began to dream about living in Scotland, and a year later she packed her suitcase and some savings and moved to Scotland.

Clavell had to work two jobs to stay in the country, but says she has never regretted her decision.

In the two years since she moved here she has graduated with an HND in practical journalism and is now in her third year at university.

In 2018 she was shortlisted for student of the year at the Scottish Student Journalism Awards, and won second place on column of the year. She was also elected Young Scots for Independence International Officer last year.

She said: “I wanted to make sure Scotland’s voice was heard around the world. I am now an activist in both the Catalan and Scottish independence movements, and I won’t stop canvassing until both our countries are free.

“I want to thank The National so much for this opportunity – I’m very grateful for this moment. My mum is coming from Barcelona and she’s going to be at the rally.”

All citizens of other countries will be welcome at our rally, at which McLaughlin will give the viewpoint of Women For Independence.

She said: “Having a voice is crucial, and not just in the literal sense, but in having the confidence to speak up, to participate, to engage, and to be heard, recognising that women often remain quiet for fear of being silenced.

“We on the National Committee of WFI, or to give us our full moniker Women For Independence – Independence for Women, formed in 2012 to make sure that women were listened to during the campaign for independence. We did this through a network of individuals and organised groups across Scotland, and by working to increase women’s political engagement, nationally and in communities.

“We became a more formal feminist organisation just after the 2014 referendum. We know that women’s voices are crucial and critical to the discussions and too often those voices go unheard or silenced.

“Our aims are to promote the causes of Scottish independence and other constitutional changes likely to contribute to greater democracy and home-rule for Scotland, gender equality and social justice and whilst doing so improve the representation of women in public and political life throughout Scotland.

“I will be talking about the need to amplify women’s voices in the campaign for #indyref2020.

“If we recognise that the right to speak is power and being heard lends credibility and we can agree that it’s a given that politics and the media already have a wealth of men, white men. Well, it’s high time that wealth was redistributed. To women – women of colour and disabled women and care experienced women and girls.

“Who is heard and who is not heard lies at the very heart of privilege and entitlement. We will no longer be quiet, we won’t be silent So I’ll be speaking up for women, Even if my voice shakes while doing so.”