Thousands gather peacefully for anti-racism protest in Edinburgh
Thousands of people have joined a peaceful protest in Edinburgh against racism and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protesters from around the Scottish capital, including pop superstar Lewis Capaldi, gathered in Holyrood Park as part of a worldwide wave of anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd's killing in America.
Crowds sat to listen to an array of speakers in the park, with speeches punctuated by chants of black lives matter'',no justice, no peace'' and supportive horn honking from passing cars.
Amid concern about the demonstration's implication on social distancing, organisers made regular announcements reminding people to stay at least two metres away from others and volunteers were giving out face masks and gloves to people arriving without them.
Despite violent clashes between police and protesters in London and America, the Edinburgh rally appeared peaceful, with the majority of police officers remaining at the outskirts of the park.
One of the demonstration's organisers Cynthia Gentle, 42, said: What this is for us in Scotland is trying to get people to pay attention to what we are saying.
Because although we're not afraid of police shooting us down on the streets, we're fighting institutional racism and that's something that we're living with in the jobs that we work, in places that we visit, and even in social circles.
It's having to justify your existence, why are you here, what brings you to Scotland; the questions are asked over and over again.''
Ms Gentle, a jazz singer living in Edinburgh, added: I know we have a Scottish community of friends and loved ones who are so supportive of this, it's not against Scottish people. It's the Scottish people and us against racists.
We just want to deal with that before it gets any worse.
If we don't deal with this now, I would hate for my children, my child, to be dealing with issues like this 20 years down the line.
We want to put things in place so people don't have to be fighting for their survival, because it's not just physical survival it's mental survival.
Life isn't just about surviving, it's about actually thriving in the community that you're in.''
TJ Lamothe, from Edinburgh, said he attended the demonstration to bring awareness and be able to share my views'' about racism in Scotland.
I think that because we've been able to actually highlight issues that black people in Scotland experience, politicians and news outlets will catch on and we can cooperate to bring about lasting change,'' Mr Lamothe said.
When I was 10 years old, someone that was significantly older than me came up to me and started shoving bananas in my face, calling me a monkey and making monkey noises,'' he added.
That was my first racist experience and I didn't know what was happening; I was completely scared.''
Leading Scottish politicians, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, had urged people to take part in virtual anti-racism protests, rather than attend in person and risk the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Yousaf is due to speak on Sunday evening at an online rally organised by the STUC calling for justice for Sheku Bayoh who died in police custody.
The virtual protest, on the fifth anniversary of Mr Bayoh's burial, also aims to highlight the racism experienced by black and ethnic minority people in Scotland.
Speakers at the rally will include Kadi Johnson, Sheku Bayoh's sister, Aamer Anwar, lawyer for the Bayoh family, Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, and Usman Ali, chairman of the STUC Black Workers Committee.