So I read in the paper today that, in the UK, 21% of soldiers have received verbal abuse on the street, & about 6% have been attacked.
This confuses me greatly. These people put their lives on the line in defence of us, yet they receive abuse for it.
Why does this happen? Do you guys think this is acceptable or deplorable?

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9262341/Let-down-by-their-countrymen-how-our-Forces-often-feel-unappreciated.html

Did it say wherever the abuse was related to their work or not?

Th3Ch33s3Cak3:
Did it say wherever the abuse was related to their work or not?

Yeah; it was when they were in uniform.

As a guy in the military, I'm going to go right ahead and say that being in the military does NOT mean you should automatically be given a good deal of respect. I know plenty of dudes in the US Navy who I consider to be jerks. That said, regardless of your feelings on the military overall, taking it out on individual soldiers is unreasonable. You don't know them, you know nothing about them. At the very least you should treat them no different than any other stranger, and if that's still poorly, congratulations! You're an asshole.

Is there any reason that members of the armed forces should be wearing their uniform outside of bases/official events?

Also, source for claims in the OP?

I have to call this one out.

As it's pretty well known here I spent 12 years in the British Army and there are a few others here who also served.

During my time in the service wearing uniform outside of official duty is not allowed.

You can't wear it like you would civvy clothes.

Also if you are attacked while on duty (or off but that's a whole different story) then you are allowed to defend yourself using "minimum force".

Obviously it's not acceptable and more to the point it is misdirected anger, people lash out on the army for shit the government is pulling (I know the UK had massive protests against getting into American wars and it was all ignored).
It's the same thing with policemen, they just enforce the laws that were put in place by governments but they are the face people see when the laws beat them down.