THE Sunday Herald was the only newspaper in Scotland to back a Yes vote in last year’s referendum. And we took our stand proudly.
On that basis, we planned to cover extensively the Hope Over Fear rally in George Square yesterday that was staged to mark the anniversary of the vote.
We had misgivings – HOF is clearly a group which promotes the disgraced former MSP Tommy Sheridan – but with so many in attendance it would have been a dereliction not to send a reporter and photographer and to celebrate the event for the ordinary people taking part.
Events yesterday, however, confirmed the suspicions of many in the wider Yes movement when it comes to Sheridan.
Two of our staff, and several other members of the media, were prevented from entering a barricaded enclosure at the event which stopped this newspaper from covering the rally properly.
Given that George Square belongs to the council, and given the local authority had refused HOF permission to stage the event, blocking the media from sections of public land is an outrage.
However, such actions should not surprise anyone with a basic knowledge of Sheridan's history.
To recap, the former Scottish Socialist Party convener ruined his own career in 2006 by suing a newspaper over sex allegations he knew were true.
The saga, which has spanned two trials, led to his former lovers being humiliated in court, the implosion of the SSP, and a perjury conviction for Sheridan.
Despite being jailed, Sheridan has never apologised and now wants to mount a political comeback.
The Yes movement – from the hundreds of local groups to the thousands of emboldened citizens who found their political voice last year – is an eclectic mix of thoroughly decent people who care deeply about their country and society, and who the Sunday Herald supports wholeheartedly.
Mainstream Yessers - and this paper speaks as a proud part of the mainstream Yes movement - have nothing in common with those who attempt to silence the press. This paper stands for a new, independent, socially just Scotland. An event which speaks of freedom and democracy yet turns the press away does not stand for those progressive ideals.
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