Scottish Trades Union Congress St Andrews Day Parade 2023
by Cameron Scott
St Andrews Day falls on the 30th of November and is Scotland’s official national day. Each year, on the last Saturday in November, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) holds its St Andrews Day anti-racism and anti-fascism parade through the centre of Glasgow. This year the procession, headed by a particularly energetic drum corps, started at Glasgow Green and finished with a rally at The University of Strathclyde. Over one thousand participants took part, representing trade unions, various community action groups and the Sheku Bayou Family Justice Campaign – a group dedicated to fighting for justice following the death of Sheku Bayou in police custody in May 2015. Amongst the dignitaries taking part in the parade this year were STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer and leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar, both of whom were in the group that headed the procession, and the rally at the end of the parade was addressed by various speakers, including Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf.
I missed that rally, opting instead to head to the nearby Glasgow Gallery of Photography for some respite from the bitter cold and, more importantly, to view and take some pictures of Progressive gang member George Koulouridis’ image taking pride of place in the current Masters Of Street Photography exhibition – a much better use of my time before heading for the bus home.
