>

I'd say the distinction lies more in the goals of the people protesting/revolutioning rather than the means they are using
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Large groups of people under one banner are actually many individuals all with their own way they want to achieve things.
Do you think one person who thorns a brick while 99 others march peacefully should not be condemned? Should there be consequences? >

If only one person fires a gun at the British at Lexington, he probably gets hanged.
If a bunch of other people fire after he does, it's the "Shot Heard Round the World!" >

Can you answer my question without using an idiom, in plain English? >

Sorry I didn't think of the possibility you might not be familiar with the phrase.
If one person walks up to a police station and throws a brick, he's getting arrested. What if 50,000 people walk up to the same police station and overrun it? And does our perspective on the situation change if they are Egyptians or Chinese people storming their government buildings vs our own? >

Are you describing an act of protest?
I think there is a line where a protest becomes a revolution. 
The expectations are different for each. Iran is seeing a revolution currently in those actively fighting for their freedom. 
But does it matter if we label it something or another thing when there will always be supporters of that behaviour and objectors?