Criminal proceedings are being taken against the organiser of a massive independence march staged in Aberdeen.
All Under One Banner (AUOB) held the successful demonstration, drawing thousands of supporters, through the centre of the Granite City in August.
Union Street was transformed into a sea of Saltires during the event, which was also attended by unionist counter-protestors.
Ahead of the event, the council warned it would be seeking around £6,000 to cover the cost of traffic management for the march – as several streets had to be closed off.
Now the P&J has learned criminal proceedings have started against march organiser, Gary Kelly, which could lead to court action to recover the sum.
That would involve seeking a compensation order which, if successful, could result in the court collecting the money to then pay the sum to the council.
The Crown Office has confirmed a trial date has been set for early next year.
It said Mr Kelly would face two charges under Section 651C of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 which relates to “A person who holds a procession in public otherwise than in accordance with a condition imposed by an order”.
Ahead of August’s march, the staging of the route proved a political battleground in itself.
Organisers had to change the route at the 11th hour and permission was only granted by council chiefs days beforehand.
All Under One Banner (AUOB) had initially planned to march from the Castlegate to Duthie Park, only to be forced to rethink because of safety considerations.
The group went back to the drawing board and scaled back the plans to plot a path from Albyn Place to the Castlegate instead.
A week before the march, and before the council had granted permission, unionist group A Force For Good announced it would be holding a counter protest.
The march went ahead peacefully in August.
AUOB did not respond to requests for comment.
A city council spokesman declined to comment due to the ongoing legal matter.
