Undercover investigation into protests planned for July's G8 summit
{{date|June 30, 2005}}

''{{w|The Scotsman|Scotland on Sunday}}'' published, this Sunday, the results of an undercover investigation into the protests planned for the '''{{w|31st G8 summit}}'''. The investigation of the "anarchists and dissenters" of the movement lasted six months and was carried out by Scott McCulloch, on behalf of the [[Scotland|Scottish]] newspaper's broadsheet Sunday edition.

McCulloch's report details the training camps of the protest groups that were held this weekend in preparation for the summit next month. Attendees were expected to learn how to cut or climb over fences and how to avoid injury from attacks by guard dogs. Factories making tubes that protesters use to lock themselves to other protesters are also being set up according to the report on the investigation. Massive road blocks are planned in an attempt to disrupt the summit.

The protests are expected to be coordinated from a central point at the {{w|Ecovillage}} in Forthbank, close to the city of {{w|Stirling}} in central Scotland. An area of land owned by the Council was approved as the location for the ecovillage by Stirling Council on Friday 24 June. The site is intended to be a solar powered campsite for an allegiance of groups making up a possible total of 5000 people. A license to hold the event at Forthbank was sought by Convergence 2005 after two other proposed sites had already been disallowed by the Council. 

Despite last minute objections raised by Central Scotland Police, the Council decided that Forthbank would be the least disruptive location for the protesters to gather, and noted that security measures had been taken. Security measures are already visible at other camps, including a steel barrier around the campsite at Craigmillar, Edinburgh. More serious security measures, designed to protect the attendees of the Summit, will involve warships and army helicopters, according to an editorial by Murdo MacLeod in the Scotland On Sunday on Sunday 26. The paper also reports that Mike Smith, from King's College London, says that security fences and police snipers are expected to be surrounding the area of the Summit.

The summit itself is taking place in Gleneagles, which is 20 miles away from the main campsite in Forthbank. The ecovillage is expected to open at the start of July.

==Sources==

*{{source|url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=704582005 |title=Inside the weird world of the G8 anarchists |author=Scott McCulloch |pub=Scotland On Sunday
|date=June 26, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=704122005 |title=Plots, paranoia and Monty Python... inside the world of G8 anarchists |author=Scott McCulloch |pub=Scotland On Sunday|date=June 26, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=704402005 |title=Ready for a riot? |author=MURDO MacLEOD |pub=Scotland on Sunday |date=June 26, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/41771.html |title=Eco-village camp licence could be scrapped over security row |author=Damien Henderson |pub=The Herald |date=June 23, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4124434.stm |title=Green light for G8 'eco-village' |author= |pub=BBC News Online |date=June 24, 2005}}

{{awn brief}}

==Related links==
*[http://www.g8.gov.uk/ Official G8 Summit site]
*[http://www.g8alternatives.org.uk/ Alternative G8 Summit]
*[http://www.dissent.org.uk/content/view/64/55/ Dissent: A protest group's view of the G8 Summit]
*[http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/edinburgh/ Make Poverty History: March planned in Scotland before the Summit]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Undercover Investigation Into Protests Planned For July's G8 Summit}}
[[Category:Scotland]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:G8]]
[[Category:Edinburgh]]
[[Category:King's College London]]
Scotland on Sunday published, this Sunday, the results of an undercover investigation into the protests planned for the . The investigation of the "anarchists and dissenters" of the movement lasted six months and was carried out by Scott McCulloch, on behalf of the Scottish newspaper's broadsheet Sunday edition.

McCulloch's report details the training camps of the protest groups that were held this weekend in preparation for the summit next month. Attendees were expected to learn how to cut or climb over fences and how to avoid injury from attacks by guard dogs. Factories making tubes that protesters use to lock themselves to other protesters are also being set up according to the report on the investigation. Massive road blocks are planned in an attempt to disrupt the summit.

The protests are expected to be coordinated from a central point at the Stirling in central Scotland. An area of land owned by the Council was approved as the location for the ecovillage by Stirling Council on Friday 24 June. The site is intended to be a solar powered campsite for an allegiance of groups making up a possible total of 5000 people. A license to hold the event at Forthbank was sought by Convergence 2005 after two other proposed sites had already been disallowed by the Council. 

Despite last minute objections raised by Central Scotland Police, the Council decided that Forthbank would be the least disruptive location for the protesters to gather, and noted that security measures had been taken. Security measures are already visible at other camps, including a steel barrier around the campsite at Craigmillar, Edinburgh. More serious security measures, designed to protect the attendees of the Summit, will involve warships and army helicopters, according to an editorial by Murdo MacLeod in the Scotland On Sunday on Sunday 26. The paper also reports that Mike Smith, from King's College London, says that security fences and police snipers are expected to be surrounding the area of the Summit.

The summit itself is taking place in Gleneagles, which is 20 miles away from the main campsite in Forthbank. The ecovillage is expected to open at the start of July.

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Scotland Politics and conflicts United Kingdom G8 Edinburgh King's College London