[Devils'Advocate]

*sigh*

As someone who joined in G7 protests and I have been at the heart of other protests as a videographer, I can tell you that these mass protests are NOT a homogenous group. There are different groups, with different issues. The most vilely hated are the "black block". These are the guys that are wearing the kerchiefs over their faces, carrying sticks, with anarchist tattoos.... and most of them self-identify as anarchists, but really all they want to do is smash stuff. They will hide in the midst of peaceful groups trying to make a point. I remember one particular protest where the hare krishna group, the most pacifistic group of them all, tried to get in the way of the "black block" because they knew that everything that they stood for, everything that they were trying to communicate with their protest was going to be overshadowed by these asses who just want to cause chaos.

These asshats, among other things, made me reconsider my means of activism. To the masses, protests generally equal "breaking windows and destroying property" even though that is usually limited to less than 1% of the participants. Any attempts to organize a protest for something you believe in will inevitably be tarnished by the "anarchists" (many of whom are ironically living off welfare), making the general populace reject the idea you are trying to convey.