Hundreds protest against animal research centre

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered today for a march against a controversial animal research centre which is being built by Oxford University.

The protest, which passed off with little sign of trouble, was organised by animal rights group Speak, which claims that experiments carried out at the facility will be cruel, particularly to primates, and unreliable.

The march against the £18m (€27m) project came at the end of an eventful week in its history.

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) announced today that it is considering offering millions of pounds in rewards for information about animal extremists.

The NAPF, whose members control funds worth about £650bn (€975bn), is trying to stamp out so-called investor terrorism.

And on Monday, construction group Montpellier plc pulled out of the laboratory project after shareholders received threatening letters urging them to sell their shares or face action from extremists.

Speak spokesman Robert Cogswell, who was at pains to distance the organisation from unlawful activity, said he could not see how the NACPF scheme would work.

Questioning whether the potential bounty would be awarded for information about legal or illegal campaigns, he said: “I actually wonder have they thought this through.

“It seems like an overreaction and I can’t see how it would work in practice.”

And he added: “I think they should stop wasting their money and start looking at why people are taking illegal action.”

Speaking about Montpellier’s withdrawal, Mr Cogswell said there was now a strong possibility that the laboratory project would not go ahead at all.

“It’s going to be very, very difficult to find a building contractor to replace Montpellier and, when they do, we will certainly highlight that company and we will be legally targeting them.”

He said he did not think that the main reason for the company pulling out of building the lab was direct action.

He said: “Of course there was an element of people looking at their profit margins, but there is an ethical and moral debate in this and I think a lot of shareholders were very uncomfortable and were putting pressure on the Montpellier board to pull out.”

As the marchers gathered in Broad Street they brandished banners with slogans including “Primate experiments – help end this cruel and unscientific practice” and “Animals have rights too! Stop this monkey business now!”

After a speech from Speak organiser Mel Broughton, who appealed for them to be disciplined and to “keep it dignified”, the protesters made their way to the South Parks laboratory site amid a cacophony of drums, whistles and sirens.

Here, they heard more speakers before concluding the march with a final procession up Broad Street which was conducted in symbolic silence.

Speak said that around 600 people took part in the march, which was monitored by 120 officers from Thames Valley Police.