HUMZA Yousaf will be attending the coronation of King Charles on May 6 and not an independence rally due to be held on the same day.
Early on Saturday evening, All Under One Banner, the group organising the event, posted a list of the speakers who had agreed to appear.
This included Scotland’s First Minister as well as Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, who Yousaf faced off against in the campaign to become the SNP’s leader.
Yousaf previously told The National he would “look to find a solution to attend both events if that is possible”.
However, since AUOB confirmed speakers for the event on social media, the Scottish Government has confirmed that Yousaf will not make the rally and is instead attending the coronation in his official capacity as First Minister to represent the people of Scotland.
A spokesperson for the SNP leader said: “Mr Yousaf has confirmed he will be attending the King’s coronation in his official capacity as First Minister of Scotland.”
The option of offering a representative from the Scottish Government or SNP to attend in Yousaf's place is being explored.
The march from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green, starting at 11.30am, is expected to be as large as the 2019 Glasgow march which rallied at least 35,000 people.
The group have also announced a stall and leafleting session will take place at Buchanan Street steps on April 29 – the weekend before the march.
On their social media channel, AUOB thanked the Scottish Independence Foundation for helping to finance the event.
“Six mass mobilisations taking place across the country to generate movement and fuel the cause”, the group said.
