This is what's going on

[pecunium]

If a picture is worth a thousand words....

Woman being pepper sprayed, for offering a flower

She's not trying to break the line. She is backing up as it goes forward. Then the cop sprays her.

When she's walking away, clearly affected by it, trying to leave; and apparently no longer, "a threat," he hoses her again.

Comments

[commodorified.livejournal.com]

It is possible to react fairly calmly to pepper spray, especially if you were expecting it, have experienced it before, and and managed to close or shield your eyes. It's nasty stuff, but at this point, most people who go to protests have, I suspect, been sprayed a time or two and are learning how to handle it.

Having washed down with castile soap before going (to limit the oil on your skin, with which it reacts, as much as possible) also helps.