Illegal camp in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park is outside Wells Fargo Center where Hillary Clinton's coronation as candidate is under way

Thousands of Bernie supporters and other protest groups are there to decry everything from police brutality and poverty to the New World Order

Camping is banned in Philadelphia's public spaces but authorities are turning blind eye to presence of protesters

City had provided toilets and free bottled water at taxpayers' expense but hopes the campers will simply leave because of oppressive heat

But demonstrators say they like it so much, they might stay on after the DNC is over

Sleeping four to a tent, strumming guitars and waving Bernie Sanders posters made from ripped up cardboard, this is the sprawling tent village that is testing Philadelphia's patience.

Camping is banned in the city's recreational spaces but officials have so far tolerated the throngs of demonstrators who have made Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park their home throughout the Democratic National Convention.

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City sources say they hope the illegal camp will simply fizzle as the baking temperatures and intermittent thunder storms prove too much for the ramshackle community dubbed 'Bern-stock'.

Those living in the pop-up commune – 'an autonomous, leaderless, non-hierarchical society' in the words of one – say they will happily leave but are not necessarily committing to when that is.

'Honestly it depends on what happens. We are playing it day by day,' says Damian Green, 28, who is unemployed and from Baltimore.

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Throngs of demonstrators have made Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in Philadelphia their home throughout the Democratic National Convention. David Guthrie, 35, of South Bend, Indiana sits in a circle of friends and hand rolls a cigarette

Damian Green, 28, of Baltimore, at the tent city in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park. Camping is banned in the city's recreational spaces but officials have so far tolerated the campers

City sources say they hope the illegal camp will simply fizzle as the baking temperatures and intermittent thunder storms prove too much for the campers

The ramshackle community dubbed 'Bern-stock', features people of all ages - from babies to adults. Signs reading 'Fix Flint' and 'No Frackin'' cover the area

Stacey Hessler, 43, of Tennessee and daughter Joy are camping along with others in the park, which sits just outside the security perimeter of the DNC

Keeping clean: Hygiene at the camp is makeshift with this protester making use of a jerry-rigged hose for a shower

'Technically we are squatting and yes we are occupying the park. But we are totally against violence,' he adds.

David Guthrie, 35, from South Bend, Indiana, describes the community of bearded eco-campaigners, socialists and Sanders disciples as a 'legit revolutionary force'.

'I'm a pacifist. I've thrown my last punch,' he assures Daily Mail Online, puffing on a hand-rolled cigarette.

'I'm preserving this as an autonomous, leaderless, non-hierarchical society.

'There is an outside chance that after the conclusion of the DNC they will try and move us on. But I'm sure that will be nothing more than a lot of folk trying to figure out how to get a ride home.'

Several hundred yards away Sanders supporters and an array of left-wing protest groups keep up their baying hostility towards a line of delegates shuffling in and out of the Wells Fargo Center behind banks of police and 8ft steel fencing.

But in FDR Park the mood is altogether more chilled, with semi-naked activists lounging on mats and makeshift hammocks.

The campers have a row of portable toilets and a free supply of bottled water courtesy of the City.

There is also food, milk and lentil stew on hand, courtesy of a non-profit pop up stall that encourages donations and urges the community to share and pool resources.

Activists can be seen passing around cigarettes and sunscreen as they sway to a backdrop of Beatles songs and folk music.

Makeshift laundry lines have been strung between trees while many have brought beer coolers and ice chests to store water.

Toddler Joy, who is still being fed through breastfeeding, appears to be one of the youngest campers on site

Once camper described the community members as bearded eco-campaigners, socialists and Sanders disciples

Give me shelter: Tents in the camp are clustered in shade to help protect from the stifling temperatures

Probable cause: The posters and slogans preach peace, democracy and non-violence rather than provocation

Feet away an American flag in planted upside down in the ground but the posters and slogans preach peace, democracy and non-violence rather than provocation.

'Join my new P.E.N.I.S. Foundation' reads one. It stands for People Encouraging Niceness in Society.

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Other signs say: 'Love is true Happiness' and 'I believe in the good things coming'.

Toddler Joy Hessler celebrated her second birthday Tuesday among the maze of tents and shelters.

Her mom Stacey Hessler, a 43-year-old sustainability activist, is determined to make it through the full four days despite the inhospitable conditions and temperatures nudging 98F.

'It's hot, yes, but we have the trees for shade,' she says. 'I'm used to living in tents.'

John Lacoss, 33, came from Connecticut with his brother Matt, 35, to show his support for Bernie Sanders.

'The media is downplaying the numbers but people have flown in from all over the country to be here,' he says.

'People have lost jobs, quit jobs. There are youths, babies, older people, all sorts.'

Technically the few hundred or so residents in tie-dye, beads and cut-up t-shirts, are gathered illegally.

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City rules state that overnight camping is not permitted in any parks in the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation system.

Those caught doing so can be issued with Code Violation Notices and fines of up to $300 by Park Rangers and Police.

But while law enforcement has kept a watchful eye on the community for the past three days, relations seem affable.

The camp was briefly abandoned Monday night when a huge storm cell whipped up biting winds, lightning and torrential rain across South Philadelphia.

Residents retreated under bridges and trees to escape the downpour but eventually crept back to their sodden village.

The City's strategy, according to sources, is to tolerate the camps and simply wait them out.

There is no hard deadline, with authorities keen to avoid any flare-ups of disorder.

The main concern is for the safety of those living among the network of tents and shelters, hence the medics and Fire Department trucks stationed nearby.

Officially, the usual rules applies - with signs dotted around the 348-acre park warning that camping, swimming and lighting fires are all banned.

'Demonstrators are highly encouraged not to camp at FDR Park, especially in light of the extreme heat and occasional thunderstorms,' said Mike Dunn, the City of Philadelphia's Deputy Communications Director.

Smoking and alcohol are also prohibited but police seemed to have turned a blind eye to cigarettes and the occasional whiff of marijuana throughout the week.

The park where the campers have decided to stay is half a mile from where the Democratic National Convention is taking place

Give peace a chance: The campers have the use of portable toilets provided by the city authorities

Taxpayer funded: The city has provided free bottled water which the campers can use

Several tents have set up camp in the Philadelphia park, which spans approximately 348 acres. Rules state that overnight camping is not permitted in any parks in the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation system

Plenty of supplies: As well as bottled water courtesy of the taxpayer, the campers have brought essentials for a long stay

No meat: The camp is strictly vegetarian and also 'an autonomous, leaderless, non-hierarchical society'

Sue Lee, 61, of Arizona is a retired nurse and camping in the make shift tent city. Those caught camping in the park can be issued with Code Violation Notices and fines of up to $300

But while law enforcement has kept a watchful eye on the community for the past three days, relations seem affable

The City's strategy, according to sources, is to tolerate the camps and simply wait them out. There is no hard deadline, with authorities keen to avoid any flare-ups of disorder

It's all very reminiscent of the 1970s Vietnam War protests attended by 61-year-old Sue Lee, a retired nurse and volunteer medic from Tucson, Arizona.

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She calls herself 'camp mom' and her particular cluster of tents is called Occupirate and has its own Facebook page.

'We are here to express out displeasure with all the electoral fraud and voter suppression,' she says while handing out free water, bug spray and hand sanitizer.

'I'm a bit of an anarchist at heart. We are staying until Friday but if the police say we want you to leave, we will occupy the sidewalks as that's not illegal.

'We are peaceful although I do have plans to get arrested. I'm going to go do some civil disobedience - I've never been arrested before'.

The Wells Fargo Center has hosted around 6,000 delegates throughout this week's convention which saw the Democrats officially nominate Hillary Clinton for President.

Thousands of Bernie supporters and assorted protest groups meanwhile have amassed around the security-fenced perimeter to decry everything from police brutality and poverty to the New World Order, fracking and a lack of local parking spaces.

The loose allegiance of environmentalists, gun control advocates, the Occupy DNC movement and Democracy Spring have staged similar protests across downtown Philadelphia, at times bringing America's fifth largest city to a standstill.

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Keeping the peace are thousands of law enforcement agents drawn from at least 50 different federal, state and local agencies including a heavy Secret Service presence, with the event designated a National Special Security Event.