‘Keep the light on’
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Europe that Scotland would be back soon, just as the United Kingdom completed its transition period out of the bloc.
"Scotland will be back soon, Europe," she said on Twitter at 2300 GMT. "Keep the light on."
Her statement came as the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), which Sturgeon leads, is keen to seize the political initiative and capitalise on frustrations after January 1.
The SNP makes no secret of its desire to hold a new referendum on independence after losing a previous one in 2014.
The party is widely tipped to win Scottish parliamentary elections next May, and victory would increase the pressure on the UK government in London to agree to a second vote.
According to a poll conducted by Savanta ComRes for The Scotsman newspaper in mid-December, 58 percent of Scots now support a break with the UK -- an all-time high.
The streets of Scotland's capital are normally packed at Hogmanay, as people from across the country and around the world flock to see in the New Year in raucous style.
As with so much else, the coronavirus outbreak has put paid to the celebrations, leaving Scots in a gloomy mood made worse by Britain's parting of the ways with Europe.
The shops selling tartan and whisky on Edinburgh's historic cobbled Royal Mile are shuttered and silent, plunged into darkness as snow falls.
But there is hope among supporters of Scottish independence that 2021 will bring some cheer.
A small group of activists held a protest outside the country's devolved parliament, condemning Brexit and calling for Scottish independence and EU membership.
"Scotland didn't vote for Brexit and we certainly didn't vote for the UK government that is pushing this through," said Morag Williamson, a retired university teacher.
As Britain leaves Europe's single market and customs union, one local resident, Zoe Stewart, said she has never felt so out of touch with the rest of the country.
"I think it's really sad that we're leaving. I don't want to leave the EU," Stewart, who was one of the 62 percent of Scots who voted against Brexit, told AFP.
"I think we should go for it, independence," she said, raising a fist and smiling. "Just to be independent. Just to have our own choices and not follow England all the time."
Under a portrait of Sturgeon, Mike Blackshaw is already running an online campaign for a hypothetical referendum from his Yes Cafe, a hub for local pro-independence activists.
The badges and T-shirts are ready to go, combining the blue-and-white Saltire flag of Scotland and the stars of the EU.
"I think 2021 is going to be a busy year for the independence movement," says the veteran campaigner with a long white beard.
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