That's not the same thing as peaceful protests by students and professionals. Noam Chomsky (!) is on the record saying the US is a very free country. Politically, that is, by which he means the scope of permissible political action is wide not, that it's rate of success is high. He's right.
Tiananmen square protests (what the "Tanks" were implying) were not peaceful. They started that way, but they were not that way, when the military stepped in. There have been numerous reports that the 'trigger' moment, was a group of soldiers being isolated and threatened or attacked.
I love you are saying The US is a very free country in response to the L.A riots... the irony is not missed :D
Came pretty close to tanks...