The script handed down by conventional wisdom is fairly clear: When a few people stand up to protest against an injustice, and police or soldiers hurt or kill them, the movement is crushed. Violence stops nonviolent protest, right?

Then again, many of us have witnessed the opposite: Violence can often spur the movement to become larger and more powerful.

Violent Repression Can’t Stop Us - Anywhere in the World (Spanish)
George Lakey