I'm not sure it's unfolded quite the way you imagine. The protesters are not "burning down the place", they built a camp in a public square to support their ef

I'm not sure it's unfolded quite the way you imagine. The protesters are not "burning down the place", they built a camp in a public square to support their efforts as a base of operation, which is common. My understanding is that riot police chose to invade this space and try to shut down the protest, and that in the process of this, the protester camp has been set afire. Reckless use of explosive teargas canisters could be to blame, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the riot cops are just setting things on fire. You may have seen some pictures of protesters with molotov cocktails, makeshift firebombs consisting of a bottle filled with explosive liquid and maybe a piece of a torn shirt as a fuse. That's probably a reaction to the behavior of the police and the regime in general. When your buddy just got shot in the face, you are likely to put away the long-game because you are clearly now just fighting for your right to disagree, to be in the street. Or in other words, you may escalate beyond peaceful / nonviolent tactics to protect the right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully. Or some people might on your behalf, whether you like it or not.