11,286 at Edinburgh AUOB March, 5-10-19
A Force For Good stood up for the Union today, Saturday, 5th Oct, in Edinburgh as the marching wing of the SNP, 'All Under One Banner' (AUOB), held its Separatist Shuffle up the Royal Mile.
Of course we counted them all in order to reveal their down-right lies and exaggerations. We did this from a vantage point which enabled an easy count.
We counted 11,286 marchers, excluding any bikers.
The entire march lasted 100 minutes. The march was also held up several times in order to allow traffic to pass along North Bridge, which cuts across the Royal Mile.
We are performing a public service in releasing these figures because the Scottish print and TV media is not challenging AUOB on this vital matter. As we said today, their lies are causing the Police and Council to be misinformed and to potentially mis-allocate resources. That's a serious matter in itself.
Director of A Force For Good, Alistair McConnachie said:
"At last year's Edinburgh march, the organisers claimed 8 times the real figure. They said 100K, on a march which lasted for 110 minutes. We counted from our video evidence available here and found 12,789.
"At this year's march, they claim 200 K, which is over 17 times the real figure of 11,286.
"Newspaper editors should be mindful - as we at A Force For Good are mindful - of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Editor's Code, specifically Clause 1 (Accuracy), paragraphs i-iv, which states:
1. Accuracy
i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.
ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and – where appropriate – an apology published. In cases involving IPSO, due prominence should be as required by the regulator.
iii) A fair opportunity to reply to significant inaccuracies should be given, when reasonably called for.
iv) The Press, while free to editorialise and campaign, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.
https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/#Accuracy
"In the face of our video evidence to the contrary, we will not be shy in reporting to IPSO any articles which print exaggerated AUOB figures as fact."
Please chip-in what you can today to ensure we at A Force For Good can "keep up the amazing work". Please make this vital move from Observation to Involvement. It really helps us to keep standing up for the truth!
One-Off Donation here> "Keep up the Good Work (and I'm not just saying this, I'm actually helping you do it)"
Monthly Union Supporter from as little as £1.15 a week (£5 a month) here> "Yes, I want to Help You Monthly" (Monthly Supporters can request a regular free hard-copy of our quarterly magazine Union Heart, including a free AFFG Union Heart badge, and will receive an automatic invite to our annual Union Social in October.)
If you prefer to donate by PAYPAL> You can do so at the PayPal button at this link
Our Count Protocol
1- We count every adult on the road (unless they are simply crossing over the road)
2- Our presumption is always to be generous. We do not want to under-estimate. For example, if we can't tell if it is 1 or 2 people behind a flag, we go with 2. If we can't tell if it is 3 or 4, we go with 4, and so on.
3- We count people on the pavement only if they are clearly part of the march, such as dressed for the occasion/carrying a flag.
4- No children who look 14 or under are counted, since they are only there because their parents have brought them along. However, the video evidence usually shows that there are only a few of them anyway, so if you want to count them in too, you will find it doesn't make much difference to the overall figure.
5- The handful of Marshals standing next to AFFG, are added in.
6- We will indicate whether our figure includes the "Bikers".
Counting Tips
We count the entire march, head by head. You can do so too by occasionally pausing the video.
If you simply want to confirm that we are in the approximate ballpark, then here is what you can do: You can count several 1 minute periods at the beginning, middle and end of the march, find an average and multiply it by the number of minutes which the march lasts.
We don't expect anyone to get the exact figure which we counted, but everyone will find it is in our ballpark.
NOTES FOR JOURNALISTS
ABOUT A Force For Good
We are a pro-UK campaigning group based in Glasgow. We were founded by Alistair McConnachie on 21 March 2012, and we incorporated as a company with Directors on 27 April 2016. A Force For Good is the trading name of AFFG Productions Ltd, 533791.
AFFG's 'Thin Red Line' of pro-UK supporters offers a dignified counter-presence at these Scottish Nationalist marches, and a colourful reminder of the value of our United Kingdom.
What we Believe
The following 4-Point Statement represents the Position upon which we stand, and from which we judge the Philosophy, Policy, Projects and Activity which we promote.
1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shall be maintained.
2. The United Kingdom is, and shall remain, primarily a Unitary State and One Nation.
3. Ever Closer Union between all the people and parts of the United Kingdom – including but not limited to elements; social, cultural, educational, economic, legal, territorial and political – shall be pursued.
4. The United Kingdom is a Constitutional Monarchy and Representative Parliamentary Democracy; and the House of Windsor shall continue to provide the Head of State.
One-Off Donation here> "Keep up the Good Work (and I'm not just saying this, I'm actually helping you do it)"
Monthly Union Supporter from as little as £1.15 a week (£5 a month) here> "Yes, I want to Help You Monthly" (Monthly Supporters can request a regular free hard-copy of our quarterly magazine Union Heart, including a free AFFG Union Heart badge, and will receive an automatic invite to our annual Union Social in October.)
If you prefer to donate by PAYPAL> You can do so at the PayPal button at this link