Addressing the crowd at the Believe in Scotland rally in Edinburgh, Humza Yousaf said:
“As we gather here today – in the European capital of a European nation – we are reminded that Brexit is nothing short of a national tragedy.
“But the fact that it was forced upon Scotland against our will also makes it a democratic disgrace.
“To those of you with us today who are new Scots, who were born outside of Scotland, let us say this.
“Let us tell you how much we value you being here – how much we value the contribution you make to Scotland.
“We could not be what we are today without you.
“And for as long as I can do anything about it, you will always be welcome here.
“Friends, independence allows us to put right the historic wrong of Brexit.
“Westminster is taking us down the wrong path.
“It’s not just that we are facing a cost of living crisis – Scotland is facing a cost of Westminster crisis.
“But by taking Scotland’s future into our own hands, we can get back on the right track.
“We can rejoin the world’s largest trading bloc – one that is seven times larger than the UK by population.
“We can be at the top table of the EU as an independent member state – working in partnership with countries across Europe.
“We can – once again – be at the heart of Europe where we belong.”
