Like them or not, the original protesters applied for a permit, got it and planned a peaceful demonstration to, as the lefties are fond of saying, to "raise awareness" of discrimination suffered by people of conservative views. (Something about the 1st Amendment, and the right to peaceably assemble and petition for redress of grievances).
A couple were armed, but not a shot was fired during the whole episode. No brownshirts, no problem. Then guess who shows up in far superior numbers, wearing black padded ninja suits and face masks like Al Queda jihadists, and carrying everything from clubs to blow torches. If you said "leftists" you move to the head of the class. And a funny thing happened on the way to the riot: a leftist news-gal got punched in the face for filming the fighting, by one of the leftist counter protesters. Well played, idiots. Now we can blame the white supremacists for an Antifa jerk punching her out.