Putting aside all teasing and baiting of you for a minute to respond to this: "Perhaps it would have been more prudent to let them have their silly little rally and moved on? "  
No, this was not a "silly little rally."  I think when people hold rallies to illustrate hateful, despicable, un-Christian, and un-American  positions, those who disagree have an obligation to stand up to hate and say so. That takes courage. Sometimes speaking out is necessary, because, as the old adage goes, "Silence gives consent." Don't make out that the violence perpetrated against the anti-protestors is their own fault.