ANIMAL rights campaigners say tomorrow's protest march against the building of a medical research centre will be the biggest staged in the city.

More than a dozen coaches carrying demonstrators from as far afield as Yorkshire, Devon and Suffolk are travelling to the city for the Speak World Day Mass Protest.

The event forms part of a series of worldwide protests against medical research on animals and is specifically targeted at Oxford University's construction of a new research facility in South Parks Road.

The demonstration falls just two weeks after Oxford University unsuccessfully tried to obtain a temporary injunction at the High Court to create a city-wide exclusion zone for campaigners and prevent them from using klaxons, whistles, sirens and other noise amplification equipment during protests.

Speak spokesman Mel Broughton said he expected the university's actions would lead to more people participating in the march.

He said: "We were expecting a big turn-out anyway, but what has happened with the High Court shows that the university have tried very seriously to stamp on people's rights to protest. They have tried to silence people, but more will now come out."

The last time protesters demonstrated en masse through the city centre, on January 14, they clashed with police, claiming that Thames Valley officers had reneged on an agreement which allowed them to demonstrate outside the lab.

Speak says it has co-operated with the police in negotiations about the route of Saturday's march.

Mr Broughton said: "Talks with police have gone well and we look forward to a good demonstraton on the day. Hopefully the scenes that happened on January 14 won't be repeated again. We are very much looking forward to a lawful event."

Speak anticipates that more than 1,000 people will turn up for the demonstration, whereas police estimate the figure will be more like 600.

A police spokesman said: "Planning for this event has been progressing well and we have had several useful discussions with the organisers from Speak.

"Whilst there is nothing to suggest that anyone is intent on causing trouble, officers will be prepared to deal with anyone who breaks the law."

The march will start at noon in Broad Street, where the group will meet to hear speeches. At about 1pm they will move off on a procession around the city.

The march will go from Broad Street, along Turl Street, High Street, Magdalen Bridge, Cowley Place where it will stop for speeches High Street, Longwall Street, Holywell Street, Parks Road and Keble Road.