riot shields?

Ahh yes, riot shield, standing there, menacingly, until rioters decided to disperse by themselves.

Cordoning off specific areas?

Ahh yes, cordoning off the area and the rioters will never find way through it.

Arrests?

Ahh yes, arrest, where the rioters will willingly cooperate.

I can't believe this site thinks cops attacking protestors (even Nazis) is totally cool and good.

it's very much depend on who did the protest and what the protest is about.

It's nazi, it's cool and good, It's fucking nazi dude, not a hill worth dying on. It's good that cop punch bad people and nazi are bad people deserved to be punched. It's a circle block in a circle hole, the reaction is just fitting. No one defending their right exactly because they are nazi.

I guess you missed the part of the article where the cops just let the Nazis continue harassing people after the pepper spray was deployed.

You can't both protest on the right to not get pepper sprayed and then also protest against the right to protest. You could've point out the protestor is the first one getting pepper sprayed and then the nazi, then we have a case, but nope you have to defend the nazi but missed the one worth defending.