RE: Words are not violence...
Those encounters will be MORE than just words. The words themselves are not violent. In those encounters you'll also see body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and they may even get physical with you.
Yet unless there is an actual physical action used against you it won't kill you, and it won't put you in the hospital.
If they take ACTION then they should be held accountable for their ACTIONS and you certainly should be well justified in self defense.
If they can incite you to violence just with words and they haven't actually done something to you then that is kind of YOUR PROBLEM. Not theirs.
It is a person seeking to justify why they suddenly think it is okay to use force against another person.
Sure those things exist in law. That doesn't mean they are just, or correct. There are a lot of unjust and incorrect, and even amoral things in laws.
It is about self responsibility. If people are given the impression that it is okay to lash out with violence then the fault is in teaching them that impression. That doesn't make it correct.
So will people react to words violently? Yes.
People do a lot of things that realistically they shouldn't.
Yet the words themselves are still not violence.
The problem was in the person that chose to act with violence making a bad choice, or having poor self control.
Ignoring, Walking away, Muting, or even challenging the words with your own. Those things are fine.
If you can't do it without reacting with force then you should likely get really good at walking away, muting, etc.
If someone won't allow you to leave. They are using force against you. You are completely justified in self defense. Yet that assumes you cannot leave. If you can leave, but you choose to stay then you should get really good at ignoring or muting.
If someone uses actual FORCE against you then yes, the smart thing to do is to defend yourself.
Likewise if someone uses force against another person you are justified in determining if you wish to aid them in their defense or not.
It doesn't change the fact that "Words are not violence".
Threats aren't actions, only words, yet anyone with a modicum of sense will not argue that they aren't violent. Words can and are used to incite violence. You cannot defend such position, it's immoral to protect such behavior, do you need an explanation as to why and how that is so?