Whether or not the innocent should avoid fighting back and whether or not fighting back would result in an escalation are two separate questions

Only sorta; they've heavily linked.

The current war in Ukraine is a direct result of the international community not making much fuss when Russia, largely unopposed, took chunks of Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine over the last few decades.

As with appeasing Hitler, we prioritized short-term quiet for longer-term encouragement of aggression.