<current government>, isn't really your <typical government>. Protest is warranted. And I'm sure that these serious people felt that their actions were justified. I'm glad they did it, and I'm glad I have read about it.
I'm not making this political. I'm simply stating that they took an action, and they knew what the result of taking that action would be. They then can't get upset that the clear consequence of their protest was an entirely predictable outcome.