Tuesday February 3rd 2026
Edinburgh City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
An Orange walk involving a flute band which celebrated a UVF terrorist as a hero is set to go ahead in Edinburgh.
Dumbarton’s Pride of the Rock flute band has celebrated William ‘Big Bill’ Campbell on several occasions, including in a now-deleted February 2024 Facebook post.
Campbell has previously been named as the UVF’s leader in Scotland during the Troubles.
He was sentenced for his part in the 1971 Glasgow pub bombings, and has also been linked to a bombing in Belfast which killed 15 people.
The band was set to take part in a walk in Stonehaven in March 2024 to celebrate the opening of a new Orange lodge.
But a large local backlash ensued over the planned demonstration, including the participation of the flute band.
Aberdeenshire councillors refused to issue the notification of the march, which local Orange groups appealed.
But by the time the appeal would have been heard at a Sheriff court, the proposed date of the march had passed.
Edinburgh councillors at a licensing meeting on Tuesday last week approved a notification of the Orange walk on June 26 of this year.
The band is one of 38 set to take part.
Councillors have narrow grounds to refuse to permit a demonstration to go ahead, and risk legal action being taken when refusing a march.
Public safety and policing officials did not object to the march going ahead.
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