Protesters have called for relaxed policing at the G8 summit

G8 Alternatives, a group organising planned demos, appealed for a sensitive policing policy at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

It claims previous summits have been marred by violence which has distracted attention from the issues on the table.

Police say they will not stand in the way of peaceful protests at the event.

The annual international summit is often the focus of protest and at Genoa, Italy, in 2001, it descended into violence.

As individuals active in civil society, we believe an exaggerated fear of a violent majority of protesters risks undermining positive progress G8 Alternatives

It has been suggested that up to 200,000 people could travel to the Scottish meeting in July, many to take part in protests such as the one planned by the Make Poverty History campaign.

G8 Alternatives says it is alarmed at reports of extra police being drafted in from England, of a water canon being ordered from Belgium and of large areas of Edinburgh being cordoned off.

It says a more relaxed policing of the event will allow world leaders to answer serious questions on issues such as global poverty, the environment and war and peace at the event.

In an open letter to political and police leaders, G8 Alternatives said: "As individuals active in civil society, we believe an exaggerated fear of a violent majority of protesters risks undermining positive progress.

'Heavy-handed'

"Decisions to restrict the right to protest and publicity about strict policing will deter the peaceful majority and therefore increase, rather than decrease, the potential for confrontation.

"We want the public to enjoy genuine opportunities to make the G8 leaders directly aware of our concerns and of the weight of support for those concerns."

G8 Alternatives warned against adopting "heavy-handed tactics of Italian or US police" at previous summits and urged the Scottish police to work in their normal way.

The letter said: "We believe this is best served by sensitive policing that avoids intimidatory, inflammatory or discriminatory treatment."

Gill Hubbard: World leaders are frightened to address the issues

G8 Alternatives' Gill Hubbard accused politicians of being afraid of the anti-war movement and anti-poverty groups.

She added: "What they are doing is whipping up this complete hysteria and scaremongering of a massive movement in order to divert attention away from the real issues."

Scottish National Party MSP Roseanna Cunningham, whose Perth constituency includes Gleneagles Hotel, where the summit is due to be held, said the security plans were unsatisfactory.

"I'm concerned the security arrangements are focused entirely on the participants of the summit itself, rather than on the security needs of my constituents or indeed the many thousands of peaceful protesters we can expect to arrive in Scotland."

'Flashpoints likely'

Green MSP Mark Ballard said the protests at the G8 summit in Birmingham in 1998 passed peacefully because of "restrained policing".

Scottish Socialist MSP Frances Curran said those who attend the summit will be intelligent people who have a right to protest about poverty.

Phil Jones, of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said there will be groups "coming to disrupt the G8 summit".

"People are coming in large numbers. There isn't the infrastructure to provide accommodation.

The aim is to provide a measured and proportionate response Chief Constable John Vine Tayside Police

"There will be flashpoints, there will be problems."

The chief constable of Tayside Police, John Vine, said he shared the policing principles outlined in the letter from G8 Alternatives.

"The Scottish Police Service's record in policing major demonstrations without confrontation speaks for itself and I see no reason why this should not continue during the G8 summit," he said.

"One of our concerns is for law-abiding protestors, should confrontation or violence occur.

"I take my responsibility for protecting them and the wider public very seriously indeed and that's why I and my chief constable colleagues are making extensive preparations, such as training more public order officers, so we are ready to deal with any eventuality.