Hey @sauve, it's a slippery slope with some of that. I see both sides. If people as a whole, any country, are not given a chance for peaceful protest so their voices can be heard and popular dissent known, then governments rule with unchecked power. The world did that already, and we lost a thousand of years of advancement because of it.
The key is "peaceful" protest. So the police forces have to show some restraint to give the benefit of the doubt in the begging. The problem lies with those who only see violence and anarchy as a way to still things up. Uncivilized behavior in these situations will not solve anything, it simply drowns out the voices needing to be heard.
The only solution for the police is to hammer down once protest turn into riots. If you behave and just protest no touch but if you even so much as begin to damage property receive the full force of the law. Its the only way people are going to learn if they have consequences for misbehaving and if that means going back to middle ages tactics, so be it.
I agree , they should prepare for the worst in people, but hope for the best - and only start crack'g skulls if they get out of line. But people everywhere do deserve the ability/chance to protest peacefully.