THE All Under One Banner (AUOB) movement marks an important day today with the 21st event it has held since launching in 2014, and it looks as if the march and rally in Edinburgh will be the biggest and best yet.

The National can reveal that the march which starts at Holyrood Park – a new starting place from last year when the march ended at Holyrood – will have the biggest ever contingent of the hugely popular Yes Bikers with more than 400 motorcyclists participating, many of them with pillion passengers.

The biggest ever contingent of pipes and drums from the Saor Alba independence pipe band will be at the front of the march which leaves Holyrood at 1pm sharp. AUOB have also been notified of the biggest ever contingent of disabled people who will be at the front of the main section of the march.

In addition a last minute “pop-up” demonstration of support for independence will take place around 12pm when a group of activists are trying to organise the biggest ever “human Saltire” and possibly the world’s biggest ever “human flag”, though that would require 44,000 people to take part to beat the record set in India.

Today’s march from Holyrood to the Meadows comes after months of marches and rallies held by AUOB across Scotland in Glasgow, Galashiels, Oban, Ayr, Campbeltown, Aberdeen, and Perth.

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The separate Forward as One group also held a successful march and rally in Dunfermline in August and AUOB are confident that many who took part in those marches – some for the first time ever – will be in Edinburgh today, with the hope that the crowd will exceed the estimated 100,000 who took part in last year’s huge event in the capital, making it the biggest march and rally for independence ever held in Scotland.

There is speculation that today’s crowd will again exceed 100,000 and organisers are hopeful that the numbers will near that of Scotland’s largest ever political demonstration by 200,000 people which took place in Edinburgh during the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005.

AUOB founder Neil Mackay is the named organiser for today’s event. He said: “We’re probably going to see a lot of people coming from across Scotland after their experience of the marches we held on our national tour this year.

“We know a lot of people are making a special effort to come and march and rally for independence in the nation’s capital.

“We are pretty certain this will be our biggest event yet as the current political climate over Brexit and the chaos in Westminster where the Government has ignored Scotland’s wishes has built momentum in the independence movement as we shall see today.”

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Mackay confirmed that the “human Saltire” record attempt will take place in Holyrood Park at noon. It is being organised by the Tartan

Spartans group and will involve participants forming four blue triangles inside marked white lines.

“They are not breaking any laws or damaging the grass,” said Mackay. “And we wish them well in the attempt.”

A spokesman for the Tartan Spartans said: “We’re hoping to get over 44,000 people actively participating in the Saltire itself.

“A group will be there early doors and they’ve got all the measurements. We’ll mark out the centre position out to the corners.

READ MORE: This is everything you need to know about AUOB's Edinburgh march

“We will be bringing people in lines and forming them them up.”

A council spokesperson said: “The safety of the public is of utmost importance to the council and we have worked closely with organisers, Police Scotland and other partners to agree a route and conditions for this march which aims to ensure its smooth passage through the city.”

Look out for full reports and pictures in the Sunday National tomorrow and The National on Monday.