"...polemic was an attack"
"...attacked Catholic Churchs and destroyed properties..."
That anyone in the Roman Catholic community could possibly equate placards, arguing, and even destroying property with the slaughter of humans is remarkable. Although it is almost assuredly in doubt, even if what you claimed were completely true, that you would conclude the Huguenots "brought it on themselves" discloses much about Rome's deep need for props and its absence of understanding faith, alone. No wonder the Reformation got traction.
Real reform, the heart of the Huguenot message, meant that reliance upon human anything, is a return to Law, a slavery promoted by Rome (read the Catholic historian excerpt), but despised by the Apostle Paul (read Galatians, Romans, Acts). Rome clung to self-reliance, in spite of claims they acknowledge Augustine's victory over Pelagius and have since morphed that into a reliance upon Rome.
The trust which the Holy Spirit creates in the soul of an elect believer recognizes grace as an unmerited favor which removes the need for anything...except Jesus. Rome, on the other hand, kills for statues, bones, bricks and placards. Astonishing that they would admit it.
Hey, we have (some) Catholics right here on FR who have called for a new Inquisition, and called for the destruction of our Constitutional Republic so as to replace it with a Catholic Monarchy. And they do so while claiming to be "conservatives" and that Protestants are the real "liberals".
IMO there's nothing at all astonishing about it. It's what they do and believe.