Popular Protest: The Great Riot of Specularum

Standing Rock, North Dakota

How bad can it get when the government objects to protest with force and are met with resistance?
Consider if you will the Great Riot of Specularum in AC1000. An oppressed Traladaran populace are in the great marketplace of the capital of the grand duchy of Karameikos listening to the voices of public protest when suddenly armed Thyatian cavalry are sent to disperse the crowd through violence. Now if the populace are able to overcome this cavalry which is possible considering the populace lack leadership and weapons despite outnumbering the cavalry ten to one the city watch pulls in the duke's guard armed with swords and pole arms from across the city forcing the populace caught in the streets back into the great market place where they can be arrested and ringleaders hanged. To enter the great market they must do so via narrow streets overlooked by rooftops. Ten men skilled the use of and armed with crossbows can descimate the advancing troops from above.
The response is to call in another thousand soldiers from across the countryside. The City of Specularum at this point is set on fire. Primarily the slums and shanties but the purpose of this is to force the populace cowering in their homes out into the streets so that they will share the same fate as the dissenters: Arrest and/or Death.
Have no doubt that this Rebellion will be put down by force and the dissidents arrested and/or killed.
There are of course options here for survival. One is Migration. The harbour is flush with ships, the grainiaries and storehouses filled with food. Loading food and populace on ships so the Rebelling Populace, sobered by the prospect of being executed once the Dukes army is done retaking the city might suddenly result in a floatilla of vessels and refugees.
The other is the installation of new government. Rational Voices amongst the Rebels decide to sign a petition suspending the existing government and monarchy and demanding the troops return to their barracks and only take orders from an elected leader of the new government. This of course will be rejected by Monarchy and its supporters nine out of ten times meaning that one side or the other must be exterminated.