Occupy Wall Street comes to mind as another example. NYC sentiment turned rather quickly against that movement once the public delectation, rape allegations and the inconvienient even caused by protestors started to boil over.
At university my friend was studying police tactics dealing with football hooligans and riots in the UK - they were slowly changing their tactics from full-on horse charges and batons waving to a very tai chi style light touch. Generally speaking the moderates would get bored and go home and then leave only the hardcore, who were then easier to identify and target. The light touch is a fantastic PR tool too because it shows any gov as tolerant and open.
