Occupy Victoria protesters who set up a tent city at Centennial Square say they will remain until evicted or the social and economic problems that led to the protest are solved.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 no chance police will be ordered to evict the protest campers, Mayor Dean Fortin said Monday .

B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 see any need at this time,B次元官网网址� said Fortin who praises the Occupy Victoria movement and its international counterparts as B次元官网网址渃itizen participation and one of the emerging issues of our times.B次元官网网址�

While the police are aware he supports the Occupy Victoria movement, Fortin said he has not told police how to treat the protesters because B次元官网网址渋t is totally inappropriate for the mayor to interfere with police operations.B次元官网网址�

Fortin said B次元官网网址減eople have an urgent need to be involved in the events and process that shape their lives.B次元官网网址�

Const. Mike Russell, Victoria police media spokesperson, said police actions are designed to B次元官网网址渨ork with rather than againstB次元官网网址� the protesters, adding the  police have talked with the mayor and act accordingly.

Russell said no additional police manpower has been alloted to keeping an eye on the protest camp other than the B次元官网网址渢ypical patrolB次元官网网址� Centennial Square normally undergoes.

At least 17 tents occupied by about 30 protesters have been on the site since the Saturday launch of the Occupy Victoria protest that saw demonstrations by several hundred people at Centennial Square, on the B.C. legislature grounds, and a march through downtown Victoria by more than 1,000 people.

Occupy Victoria protesters said the mayor could easily have used his power to order police to disrupt two Occupy Victoria protests B次元官网网址� the downtown protest by the recently founded PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Assembly of Victoria and a similar demonstration by another group called We Are Change Victoria, on the B.C. legislature grounds earlier the same day and attended by about 300 people.

B次元官网网址淭he mayor being on side is huge,B次元官网网址� said Anushka Nagji, 25, one of the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Assembly organizers and a University of Victoria law student who graduates in April. B次元官网网址淗e has a lot of power and was in a position to allow or not allow it to happen.B次元官网网址�

She said she is B次元官网网址渉eartenedB次元官网网址� at the friendly police attitude towards the Occupy Victoria protesters.

Fellow organizer Rob Rao, 34, said Fortin could have called in police to evict the campers because of a city bylaw that says tents and other temporary structures put up in public parks can only stay in place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and must then be dismantled.

Unlike the B.C. legislature grounds demonstration that had a letter of approval from the province, the people behind the Centennial Square protest and march did not have permits from the city and were technically illegal.

Rao said the overwhelming majority of people involved in SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 demonstration were individuals who said they would not normally get involved in public protest but are increasingly upset at corporate and bank control of the economy that is crushing jobs, destroying social programs, and telling governments what to do.

Josh Steffler, spokesman for the We Are Change Victoria which is not tied to the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Assembly, said Fortin was correct in allowing Occupy Victoria to proceed without interference.

B次元官网网址淚t would have been easy for him to say, B次元官网网址楴o, they donB次元官网网址檛 have a permit (for SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 protest and the tent city)B次元官网网址� and tell the police, B次元官网网址楶lease remove themB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�

Even though the city has now shut down power outlets to Centennial Square, the protesters said it is just a minor inconvenience.