HARDCORE anti-capitalism protesters are drawing up detailed plans to bring Scotland to its knees during this summer's G8 summit.

An army of demonstrators is set to blockade the country's roads and railways as leaders of the world's most powerful nations gather for the event.

Scotland will be the focus of intense global scrutiny throughout the three-day meeting.

But an international network of activists has pledged to plunge the country into chaos.

This weekend, the Scottish Daily Mail infiltrated a secret training camp in Germany attended by more than 100 key organisers from around the world.

The militants aim to cripple the country's infrastructure by blocking major roads and rail links around Central Scotland.

About 10,000 demonstrators are being recruited and will be schooled in how to maximise disruption.

The full scale of the protest emerged after a Mail reporter posed as a demonstrator to attend the meeting, hosted by a group called Dissent, at Tbingen in southern Germany.

The group believes in the 'rejection of capitalism, imperialism and feudalism' and advocates a 'confrontational attitude' as well as 'direct action and civil disobedience'.

Police are preparing for the biggest security operation in modern British history, with thousands of extra officers drafted in for the event, to be held from July 6 to 8. It will see Prime Minister Tony Blair welcome world leaders including George Bush and Russian premier Vladimir Putin.

The protesters' meeting was set up over the Internet. Activists were briefed on tactics to disrupt the summit and given advice on Scottish law and how to evade the police.

Protesters discussed blocking the main access roads to the summit at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, especially the M90 and A9 motorways and the rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The blocks mean emergency services may not get access to towns and villages a fact acknowledged by the protesters, who justified their actions by limiting the blockades to just one day.

Veteran protesters advised human chains to handcuff themselves together to prevent dispersal by police and suggested placing awkward objects such as wheelchairs between the ranks of demonstrators.

Pre- summit reconnaissance trips to the area are planned to find out what natural resources such as trees are at hand to use as barriers A group of hikers also plans to try to reach Gleneagles by walking over hills into the area around the hotel, which will be heavily guarded by police.

Those attending the training meeting came from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Belarus and Macedonia, as well as the UK.

Scottish lawyers were even present to advise protesters on legal issues. For example, in countries such as Germany, protesters are not allowed to cover their faces to avoid being photographed.

But demonstrators were reminded that while Scottish police could ask them to remove their hoods, they could do nothing if the protester had painted his or her face.

Lawyers also informed the group that the carrying of identity cards was not obligatory in Scotland and police could only demand ID if they were making an arrest.

One organiser, calling himself John, said: ' We must stick together and not allow the police to cordon us off into small groups. We must break these cordons if necessary.' More details about the mass demonstration will be unveiled at a second meeting to be held in London next month.

Special co-ordination centres are to be set up in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Stirling, as well as a spot near Gleneagles, yet to be decided.

Protesters also plan to try to win over the Scottish public with mobile units that will hand out flyers.

Some of the organisers said action in a number of areas, including Stirling, should be avoided as the 'decent working class' people may not be able to understand why the protests were taking place.

There were also calls to move in and out of Dunblane as quickly and quietly as possible to avoid upsetting the residents, left devastated in March 1996 when gunman Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and their teacher.

Activists have even arranged transport for arrested demonstrators being released from prisons. One said: 'We want a peaceful protest, which is why we ask that nobody brings along anything that can be considered a weapon.'

Dissent is planning to run another four-day training camp in Scotland in April.

The group expects to have about 10,000 of its own activists in the country but it is estimated as many as 100,000 individuals will take part.

One of the organisers at the meeting said: ' I hope when people in Scotland see that we are getting arrested and even risking our lives for this cause, they will start thinking about it and question the G8.' Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that Scottish Socialist Party MSPs are to undergo 'non-violent direct action training' for G8 demonstrations at the Scottish Centre for Non-Violence in Dunblane.

g.grantdailymail.co.uk