TORY MSPS and members were booed and heckled while entering the Conservative leadership hustings on Tuesday night, as hundreds of people gathered outside to express their opposition to the contenders.
Despite there being campaigners from a number of groups present, independence was the primary focus – with dozens of placards demanding that Scottish democracy be respected amid the sea of Saltires and EU flags.
Police stood between the noisy protesters and the concert hall, with a barrier stopping them from getting close to those attending the event.
The crowd of around 300 people booed and some made lewd hand gestures as the members, and Conservative MSPs like Stephen Kerr and Sharon Dowey, arrived to hear from the prime ministerial candidates.
Young people danced happily as the musical acts took to the DIY stage, performing crowd-pleasers like Caledonia and shouting anti-Tory slogans like "f*** the Tories but never f*** a Tory".
Morag, a campaigner with Yes for EU, said she had come out to oppose Truss and Sunak as she wants an independent Scotland back in the bloc.
“There’s no point staying with the United Kingdom because they have no intention of joining the EU. We have been dragged out of the EU against our will and so it’s extremely frustrating.
“We want independence for lots of good reasons including joining the EU and we know a lot of people coming from No to Yes are voting Yes next time precisely because the SNP and the Greens have committed to applying to join the EU.”
Campaigners Shona and Stewart said the “desire for independence” had brought them out to the Tayside city.
“This is why we protest, this is why we march – the inequity and the corruption that we’re seeing, we cannot support that any longer, this is why we have to change,” said Shona.
“This political party haven’t won an election in this country since 1955,” added Stewart. Gesturing towards the hall where Truss – who recently said Nicola Sturgeon should be “ignored” – was speaking, he joked: “We’ve come to tell them we are not ignoring them.”
Helen (below, left), who attends a number of pro-independence protests, said the event was all about showing that Scotland’s democracy “can’t be treated like this”.
“The people of Scotland have voted for an independence majority,” she told The National. “For them to say how they’re going to dismantle it, it’s just a disgrace. It’s not against Parliament, it’s against us.”
Asked if she was more worried about Sunak or Truss as PM, Helen responded quickly: “I think Liz Truss being the next prime minister would be a joy for us.”
One lone man was wandering through the crowds with a sign reading “you have no support here Truss”.
It came after a new poll found around 25% of Scots would be more likely to vote for independence if the Foreign Secretary wins her leadership bid.
Asked what brought him out to the protest, Brian, aged 60 from Dundee, said this was his first ever protest – but he expected there to be “a few more” in his future.
“I just wanted to shout, I’m getting angry about what’s going on,” he said. “I just wanted to shout and make my sign and do something, rather than sit in the pub – so I thought I’d come along.
“I’ve just come along as a man on the street that sits in the house and shouts at the telly, sits in the pub and argues with the guys.”
“Is [Truss] the best we’ve got to offer? It’s a shambles? She’s going to be more of the same, not doing anything … the man in the street is being taken advantage of and those are the top are raking it in.”
