A PRO-INDEPENDENCE festival due to take place on the day before the Queen's funeral in Glasgow has been postponed allegedly due to public order concerns.
The Yestival event was planned to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the independence referendum which falls on Sunday, September 18. The monarch's funeral is due to take place in London the next day.
It comes after concerns were been raised following a number of anti-monarchy protesters being charged with breach of the peace during a proclamation ceremony in Edinburgh announcing King Charles III as the new monarch.
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Hope over Fear and former socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan are among the organisers of the George Square event, with the Proclaimers backing the festival.
However, organisers say they have been forced to reschedule the event for October 8 after discussions with Glasgow City Council.
It's understood that permission for the event had not yet officially been granted, and the application was withdrawn.
Our sister paper The Herald reports that the Yestival organising committee claimed in a circular to supporters that "police concerns over public order and staffing levels" led to the event being postponed.
It is understood that Police Scotland was not approached about the event, but the force declined to comment on the record.
Yestival organisers announced the news to supporters, writing: "Like many independence campaigners we are disappointed that we cannot assemble on the historically significant date of 18th September, eight years exactly since our first referendum, but we are going to assemble on the 8th of October only three days before the Supreme Court in London meets to deliberate over the Scottish Government request for legal permission to hold IndyRef2 on 19th October next year.
"It is an ideal opportunity for the independence movement all across Scotland to come together with one voice and declare loud and clear that no unelected judges or unrepresentative Tories in Westminster have the right to deny Scotland her basic human right to vote on her constitutional future after the principal party of independence in Scotland has won convincingly five consecutive general elections, three UK General Elections and two Scottish General Elections since our first referendum in 2014."
It comes after an online fundraiser for the event only raised £430 through GoFundMe but organisers say the costs for the event amount to nearly £4000.
This includes a mobile stage, a generator, PA system, safety barriers, insurance, van hire and other associated costs.
READ MORE: Police Scotland faces questions over anti-monarchist arrests
The circular to supporters added: "So let's turn a negative into a positive.
"We are not assembling on Sunday, but we will assemble on Saturday 8th October to declare for Scotland’s freedom to choose her own destiny. Gather on that day and be entertained by the galaxy of talented independence musicians and inspired by speeches from across the independence movement.
"We have our date with destiny. It is 19th October 2023. Demand the right to vote on that day for a new, fairer, more democratic, and nuclear weapon-free Scotland no longer held back by the corrupt and rotten Westminster chains of exploitation and domination."
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “Following constructive discussions with the organiser, they took the decision to postpone their event and amended their application to a later date.”
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