I keep going back to what an instructor who once was in the arena told us many years ago (Ukraine)

[joshcryer]

6. I watched the Euromaiden live stream live.

It was a bunch of people sitting around not doing much, being mostly peaceful (there were a few spats and disappearances which imo disproportionately affected the Maiden protesters than vice versa). I felt it was like Occupy in that respect.

Then the anti-protest law got passed. Immediately they started barricading. I remember tuning in one night and seeing them tip over a bus. I remember seeing them deploy a catapult to shoot stuff back at the police. Yes, this is violent. But would we have expected anything less from, say, Occupy if a law was passed designed to stop them from protesting? Rendering them harsh jail sentences for protesting?

I made an OP here when the police decided to crack down.

I admit my ignorance at the time but as I learned more and more it became clear to me that this was precipitated by Russia, and the protesters did do it on their own, and the US did side with them.