Yes, the activists were tough and determined enough to get beat up and keep going, but they were badly outnumbered and would never have won by their own strengt

Yes, the activists were tough and determined enough to get beat up and keep going, but they were badly outnumbered and would never have won by their own strength. Their goal was to keep going long enough to make other people care, not despite but because of the forces deployed against them. Not by enduring oppression long enough that their oppressors got tired of fire hosing them; but long enough to awaken the conscience of people far away. That does take a lot of strength and endurance, I'm not suggesting otherwise, but one can be strong and still be greatly outmatched and in a position of relative weakness.