THE morning after the night before was filled with raw emotion on both sides of the independence debate.
Despite poll after poll putting No consistently in the lead, not too long before the referendum was held on September 18, 2014, a YouGov poll suggested Scots would vote for independence and so the anticipation and adrenaline was running high in the build-up to the result.
So when it became clear Scotland had voted to remain part of the UK, all that nervous energy came to a head in George Square in the centre of Glasgow on the evening of September 19.
Tensions erupted as police attempted to control a mass pro-Union rally involving hundreds of demonstrators chanting “Rule Britannia!” marched through the city in celebration of their victory.
At around 6pm a stand-off developed between a crowd waving Union flags and holding “No Thanks” signs, and supporters of Scottish independence, who had regularly been gathering there in the build-up to the vote.
The day before the referendum, pro-independence Scots had gathered in George Square for a huge rally just hours before the polls opened. Although there were a small clan of No supporters standing outside the city chambers, exchanges between the rival groups were fairly light-hearted and there were no arrests. A carnival atmosphere rang out as Scotland stood on the brink of history.
But what took place the day after the vote was different, more resembling a football crowd than a political rally.
Men, women and children draped in Union flags and carrying banners associated with Orange Lodges in Glasgow said they were in the square to celebrate the "saving of the Union".
The two sides were separated by a human cordon of police officers as the pro-Union group shouted "We love Scotland more than you", "Alex Salmond is a w*nker" and "You let your country down".
While Yes campaigners gradually dispersed, the pro-Union supporters kept coming in their hundreds and eventually police began to lose control of the demonstration, which spilled out onto St Vincent Street and up the shopping district of Buchanan Street.
Police horses were used to try and control the crowd, and by 8.30pm six arrests had been made.
Officers did not resort to wearing riot gear or deploying batons, tweeting that most people had dispersed by 9.30pm, but the scene was an unfortunate end to what had for the most part been a good-natured campaign.
