Anarchists plot anti-G8 action as police prepare for 'extreme measures'

Anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist campaigners will meet at Tbingen, in the southern state of Baden-Wrttemberg, to prepare their tactics.

In the clearest challenge yet to the authorities, organisers of the summer conference have said that the Scottish police are not used to dealing with large-scale demonstrations such as those at G8 summits.

But Scottish anti-globalisation campaigners have urged ‘macho’ hard-liners intent on confrontation to stay away from Scotland in July.

On a website about the ‘anti-G8’ gathering, the organisers say: "The 2005 G8 summit will take place in the Scottish town of Gleneagles, about 70km north of Edinburgh. It will not be allowed to go ahead without challenge."

Referring to "Scots Law for anarchists", the guide explains that Scotland has its own police force and laws and that police north of the Border have their own tactics.

But in a statement likely to tempt would-be demonstrators into action, the website advises: "Scottish police have little experience in dealing with large-scale actions."

Moderate anti-G8 campaigners reacted with concern to the rhetoric coming from the continent. Gill Hubbard, the organiser of Scottish-based G8 Alternatives, said: "We would urge all who advocate violence to please stay away. Scotland will not be the place for them. We are preparing a peaceful alternative G8 which will come up with alternative policies for dealing with the problems of the world. We can do without the macho solutions."

Police in Scotland have been stepping up their preparations to protect the summit from the protesters, including approaching the Belgian authorities for up to four water cannons for the event.

Firing jets of water at angry crowds is not unusual at G8 summits overseas. But there is no track-record of using them in Scotland. Police sources have indicated that an approach has been made to Belgium to secure the water jets. Tayside Police have said that "no firm decisions have been made".

But the force’s chief constable, John Vine, said the use of "extreme measures" would be considered if intelligence suggested a need.

Other possible moves include banning certain people from coming to Scotland, and even building a huge perimeter around the Perthshire resort before the summit begins.

Vine said: "We are aware that establishing a perimeter around Gleneagles is a huge challenge. We are looking to have a physical barrier, whether it is a fence or a ring of police officers has yet to be decided.

"It does involve a huge number of resources because of the terrain. We are talking thousands of officers."

He added: "We can’t give a cast-iron guarantee that there won’t be trouble, and I don’t think anyone would expect me to. There are clearly concerns about disorder which could be caused by anarchist groups getting to the venue and making their presence felt."

A large protest march has been planned for Edinburgh for July 2 - the eve of the conference. Early estimates put the numbers for the Edinburgh march at 100,000 to 150,000, but police officers believe that may rise to 200,000.

Senior officers have repeatedly warned of the threat of extremist violence and have shown MSPs footage of the riots in Genoa in Italy and Evian, France, which accompanied recent G8 summits.

The riots in Genoa in 2001 ended with one protester dead, more than 200 people injured, and 250 arrested. Last year, the US held the summit on an island off the coast of the American state of Georgia.

The authorities sealed off the island and only those with high-level credentials were allowed into the secluded resort.

The private island could be reached only by a two-lane causeway, or from the Atlantic Ocean.

McConnell's stunning plan to beat poverty

JACK McConnell is planning to involve the Scottish Executive in the global campaign to put poverty at the top of the agenda of the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Despite the fact that the devolved Executive has no powers over international development, the First Minister met Richard Curtis, Comic Relief co-founder and the brains behind Four Weddings and a Funeral and Blackadder, on Friday in a bid to get involved in the poverty plan.

The Make Poverty History campaign - which involves a coalition of charities, trade unions and faith groups - was set up this year with the aim of forcing political leaders to focus on the plight of the world’s poor.

McConnell’s involvement will extend to a visit to Malawi, the 12th poorest country in the world, in May. While the Scottish government will have only a walk-on role at July’s G8 summit, the First Minister wants to use his position as host to assist the poverty campaign.

As well as meeting Curtis last week, McConnell also held talks with Kevin Cahill, the chief executive of Comic Relief.