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The move came as Occupy protesters in Victoria defied a Monday noon deadline imposed by municipal officials to dismantle their camp, and civic leaders across the country showed signs they are growing increasingly weary of the Occupy encampments in their cities.

But one expert says despite the steps taken toward shutting down the camps, officials across the country will face a difficult task in uprooting the weeks-old protests.

“If police use violence, it could have a backlash effect and people could turn out in greater numbers to support the occupiers,” said Marc Ancelovici, who teaches sociology at McGill University in Montreal. “But if police manage to act diplomatically, it could mean the end of the occupation.”

Ancelovici, who studies grassroots social movements, said he believes Occupy protesters scored points in the first days of the movement by getting their message across, but they now seem to be losing the public-opinion battle.

“There is no debate at all on the issues that the occupiers have raised, like equality, poverty and so on. The debate is only about the occupation as such and that plays in favour of the cities,” he said.

Vancouver’s decision to seek a court order to remove the protesters’ tent city isn’t about getting rid of the protesters, Ballem said.

“They can continue to protest,” she said. “It is not about removing people.”

Ballem said the city is using its City Land Regulation Bylaw to try to force the occupiers to remove all their tents and items.