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An estimated 20,000 people have taken to the streets of Glasgow to demonstrate for Scotland's independence from Britain, organisers say. Nicola Sturgeon, the head of Scotland's devolved government and of the Scottish National Party, was also present at the rally, taking part in an independence event for the first time in five years. "An independent Scotland is closer than it has ever been," Sturgeon wrote in a statement released hours before the start of Saturday's rally. "It really is within touching distance." On Friday, Sturgeon said she would request a new referendum on independence from London before the end of December. Last week, the British parliament passed legislation calling for an early general election on December 12. Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded the vote to break a political stalemate over the Brexit deal he hammered out with Brussels. "This election is Scotland's chance to escape Brexit and to put our future in our own hands," Sturgeon said. She called on voters to cast their ballots for the SNP and thereby strengthen Scotland's position. In Scotland's first independence referendum in 2014, 55 per cent voted against a split from Britain. During the Brexit referendum of 2016, a clear majority (62 per cent) of Scottish voters were in favour of remaining in the European Union, a fact that led many to call for a new referendum on independence. Australian Associated Press

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