Orangemen against independence

Several thousand Orange Order members from Northern Ireland and Scotland marched through the streets of central Edinburgh on Saturday, in a show of support for the "no" campaign, which is urging Scots to reject First Minister Alex Salmond's plan to separate from Great Britain.

"We are proud to be part of Great Britain. We are passionate about the union. We are here to galvanize the 'no' vote," Henry Dunbar, Grand Master of the order's Grand Lodge of Scotland, told a rally near Edinburgh Castle.

The demonstration, which included a marching band, went ahead despite the fact that the anti-independence umbrella group, Better Together, had asked the Orange Order to cancel it due to fears that it could be seen as anti-Catholic.

Organizers of Saturday's demonstration had urged their supporters to ensure that things remained peaceful, telling them to "keep your cool" if confronted by campaigners from the "yes" side.

Members of the Orange Order have been accused of fueling sectarianism; marches by the organization through Catholic areas of Northern Ireland have often resulted in violence.

Tight race

Saturday's demonstration comes with the latest opinion polls showing the pro- and anti-independence campaigns running neck-and-neck ahead of the September 18 referendum.

A survey published by London's Times newspaper on Friday showed that support for the "no" camp had climbed to 52 percent, with 48 percent of those polled saying they intended to vote in favor of independence.

The previous poll conducted by the YouGov internet market research firm and published last weekend, had put the pro-independence side ahead for the first time with 51 percent support, compared to 49 percent for union supporters.

Also on Friday, a survey conducted by the pollsters ICM Research found that the "no" side was ahead among decided voters, putting support for staying in the union at 51 percent compared to 49 percent for independence. It also put the number of undecided voters at 17 percent.

Banks could leave

Friday's opinion polls came a day after two Scottish banks said they would move their headquarters to London if Scots voted in favor of independence in the referendum.

Alex Salmond cried foul over the release of the information about the Royal Bank of Scotland's plans in particular (RBS), saying it broke financial market rules in an attempt by the British government to scare voters ahead of the vote.

The head of the British civil service has rejected the complaint, saying there was no breach of the government's rules. The British government owns around 80 percent of RBS.

If Scottish voters do choose independence, the vote would be followed by more than a year of negotiations on the terms of its exit from the United Kingdom, which would occur in early 2016, 309 years after Scotland joined England in the union.

pfd/sb (AFP, Reuters, dpa)