Scottish Green Party Co-leaders to speak at Believe in Scotland’s March and Rally for Independence.
Believe in Scotland is organising a March and Rally for Scottish independence in Edinburgh on Saturday, March 28th 2026. We are expecting thousands to march with us and today we can announce our second speaker, well in this case, a pair of speakers, Scottish Green Party Co-leaders Gillian Mackay MSP and Ross Greer MSP.
Gillian Mackay MSP and Ross Greer MSP became the new Co-leaders of the Scottish Green Party in August last year and this will be the first time Gillian and Ross have addressed a national independence rally together since taking up their roles.
Believe in Scotland’s goal is 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.
We asked Gillian and Ross why this march at this time is so important. Gillian Mackay MSP said:
“We are living through a time when politics is being dragged towards division and scapegoating. Scotland’s choice is simple. We can accept the UK’s lurch to the right and Reform’s Trump-style playbook, or we can show that Scotland is ready to stand against the politics of hate and choose to build something better.
"Every day we are coming up against the huge limits of devolution, and, with the very real threat of a hard right Farage-led government that Scotland didn't vote for, it is crucial that we take our future into our own hands.
"Support for independence is bigger than any one party. This is about democracy, and the simple principle that the people who live here should decide our future.
"It is key to us building a fairer, greener and better Scotland. It is how we can make sure decisions are made here, by the people who live here and that we are building a society with dignity and solidarity at its heart. The way we change that is by building a bigger, broader majority for independence and by connecting it to the real changes people need, lower bills, stronger public services, a healthier environment, and a fairer economy that works for people."
Ross Greer MSP said:
“Westminster has shown time and again that it will put its own interests ahead of the public’s. That means blocking Scotland from making our own choices about our economy, our public services, and our place in Europe. We need to break from this failed system and build a clear, united majority for independence.
“Let's make the positive case for Scottish self-government. Let’s show that independence matters because of the difference it will make to people’s lives. Independence means having the powers of a normal country. With that, we can cut bills, protect public services, and protect our planet, instead of wasting money patching up the damage done by Westminster chaos and mismanagement. Most fundamentally, though, it means making our own choices without being told ‘no’ by Westminster governments that just don't care about Scotland.”
And Gillian and Ross together echoed this call to join them:
“Let’s show what an independent Scotland stands for. Join us in Edinburgh on Saturday 28 March for the Believe in Scotland independence march and rally and let’s be loud, hopeful, and really determined for independence.”
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp the founder of the Believe in Scotland campaign added:
“The Scottish Green Co-leaders speaking at our march and rally for independence is important as Gillian and Ross represent a new generation of political leadership within the Yes movement. This will be their first opportunity, as Co-leaders, to address a national independence rally and to bring their message of a fairer, greener, more democratic Scotland to the thousands who will gather on Calton Hill.
“We’re delighted to welcome them to the Believe in Scotland stage on 28 March. We hope this rally will send a clear statement that Scotland is marching towards independence and that our movement is strongest when we make a common, positive case for realising Scotland’s potential as an independent country.”
Details of the March
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.
