Activists say the parade has always been peaceful

The march, scheduled for 6 August, has been held in the city centre for the past 14 years.

The parade organisers said they did not accept that limitations should be applied.

Reverend David McIlveen, who led a delegation from the Free Presbyterian Church to meet the commission, said he found it "more offensive each year".

He suggested that certain limits could be applied to the parade.

"They could change the time of the parade," he said.

"They could also insist that the code of dress should be adhered to in a manner that is decent and inoffensive."

The organisers have argued that it is a peaceful parade which brings trade and tourism to the city.

The police passed the matter on to the commission for consideration after concerns raised by some Christian groups.

The Parades Commission was set up in 1997 to make decisions on whether or not restrictions should be imposed on controversial parades during Northern Ireland's marching season.