Beccy, as with any group, there are always a few that will resort to violence or lose control in a stressful situation. Non-violent measures are emphasized over and over by organizers and the vast majority of protesters adhere to them.

Nor is everyone in a crowd necessarily there because they believe in that cause. A violent person who uses the anonymity of a crowd as an excuse to get away with a crime will be blamed on a the crowd, even if their views are the antithesis of the crowd. At most protests for the past few years, the Black Bloc has chosen to show up and use the cover of a peaceful protest to commit violence in the name of their anarchist movement.

Then there are usually elements who show up intending to attempt to discredit the cause of the protest by deliberately committing violence.

There are a few protestors that advocate violence to get what they want. The vast majority of peaceful protestors are VERY unhappy about this, because we feel such actions cause more harm, not less.