If it comes to that they won’t be “protesters”. They’ll be criminals attempting to do you harm. There’s a big difference between protesters and rioters/looters.
Even the situation of robbers or thieves or destroyers of property (and sometimes even intruders bent on murder or mayhem) is treated differently by different states. It is always wise to know the applicable law. It is likely the criminal will, and can use that knowledge to bait you into something that will put you, rather than the criminal, in a compromising position.