Brian Cox to Speak at Believe in Scotland Independence Rally
Our march and rally for Scottish Independence in Edinburgh on Saturday, March 28th is creating a real buzz. Already announced as speakers are the First Minister John Swinney MSP and Scottish Green Party Co-leaders Gillian Mackay MSP and Ross Greer MSP, all of whom will be addressing a major independence rally for the first time as leaders of their respective parties.
Now joining our march and rally will be the actor Brian Cox, a long-term supporter of Scottish independence who even spoke at the launch of Yes Scotland in 2012.
Brian is widely considered to be one of the great actors of his generation with a TV and film career spanning more than 60 years. An Emmy winner for Nuremberg (2000) and more recently a Golden Globe winner for Succession (2020) where he played Logan Roy, one of his many iconic characters such as Colonel William Stryker in X-men, Lt. Colonel Michael Hogan in Sharpe’s Rifles and Sharpe’s Eagle and Ward Abbott, the corrupt CIA Section Chief and chief protagonist in The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy.
We asked Brian to tell you why he is joining the Believe in Scotland march and rally and he told us this:
“I grew up in a Scotland that was always expected to make do, to accept decisions made elsewhere, and to be grateful for whatever scraps of attention came our way. That didn't seem to me to be a union of equals, rather a nation being dictated to. I have also spent my life watching Scotland’s talent travel the world, while looking back to see Scotland’s assets and Scotland’s democratic will treated as if they were someone else’s property. Over time, that wears people down, creating a kind of quiet defeatism within our nation.
"Independence is simply the normal state of a nation. It is how we, the people of Scotland, change Scotland's outlook, Scotland's prospects, how we build a fairer economy, one that serves the people's wellbeing, and how we turn Scotland from a nation whose wealth is extracted to one where its wealth regenerates our communities. Independence will flip the switch so that wealth, power, and opportunity circulate here for the common good of the people of Scotland.
“If like me, you believe Scotland should be an independent nation, then I hope you will join me in Edinburgh on Saturday, 28 March for the Believe in Scotland march and rally, and let’s showcase the confidence, warmth and determination of our Yes movement to those who so desperately need it.”
The founder of the Believe in Scotland independence campaign Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp welcomes Brian as a speaker:
“Brian speaking at our rally adds an extra dimension to the event, we have already announced the leading political voices within the independence movement, we have also lined up some of the top activists and champions of the cause of independence. Now, one of our most famous and respected members of the Scottish independence family will share his thoughts on how independence can create a better, fairer, more positive and more caring Scotland.
I first saw Brian speak at the launch of Yes Scotland in 2012 and his story of having to leave Scotland for work and watching its change from afar and become more positive and ambitious as independence support rose, stayed with me - it reminds us that we are not doing this for the politicians we are doing it for the people, for the sake of the nation we can be, the nation we deserve to be.”
Details of the March
Believe in Scotland is organising a March and Rally for Scottish independence in Edinburgh on Saturday, March 28th 2026.
The marchers will start to gather from 11:30am on the Royal Mile by Parliament Square. The march will begin at 12:00pm. Soar Alba Pipes and Drums will lead the march down The Royal Mile and onto the gathering on Calton Hill.
The march is expected to arrive at Calton Hill around 1:20pm and begin the rally soon after that.
We are expecting thousands to march with us and we hope you can join us.
Believe in Scotland is aiming to use this march and rally to put Scotland’s independence and Scotland’s democratic right to decide our nation's future at the top of the Scottish political agenda ahead of the Holyrood election.
