History Main / AgentProvocateur

[[folder: Videogames ]]

* In a ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode, the back story was of a radical activist group at Hudson University (the show's [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed Columbia/NYU expy]] that had been infiltrated by these to get them to do more and more dangerous/hostile things and justify shutting them down completely.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO COINTELPRO]] was an American government program of Agent Provocateurs deployed between 1956 and 1971. Agents were sent to infiltrate the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, among others.
** J. Edgar Hoover's infiltration of the Communist Party is an interesting example of EpicFail with this trope to the point of RealityIsUnrealistic. It turns out the US government pumped so much money and had so many informants in the communist party, it actually kept the organization from collapsing.

* Some people have assumed that Website/{{Tumblr}} has been the targets of these - not because the government wishes to discredit the Social Justice movement(s) prevalent on the site, but because {{Troll}}s are simply bored and want to dismantle the movement(s) by invoking PoesLaw. One ''infamous'' example of this was [=#TakeDown4Chan=], which [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant went about as well as you would expect]]. It's been both claimed and suspected that the entire farce was started by 4Chan, though [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment lets just leave it at that]].

* Nom Anor from the Literature/NewJediOrder, several times in different disguises.
** In the Literature/HandOfThrawn Duology, this is the role of "Vengeance", supposedly a grassroots organization of citizens outraged at the political crises ''du jour'', [[spoiler: actually an Imperial infiltration team of maybe a dozen guys, posing as a massive organization]]. In addition to starting riots and otherwise stirring up trouble, they use high-tech stealth blasters and redirection crystals to make it appear that planetary forces (and in one case, Han Solo) are shooting back at protestors. In their final act on Bothawui, they go one step further, [[spoiler: arranging for the planetary shields to be shut down, and infiltrating members onto selected parts of the multispecies fleet in orbit to incite an all-out war by bombarding the planet]].

Common conspiracy theory trope. See also {{Astroturf}}. Not necessarily one of LesCollaborateurs, though he or she may double as this. Not to be confused with a HoneyTrap. Or the 1984 Music/{{Foreigner}} album.

* ''On Wings of Eagles'' by Ken Follett. Ross Perot and his executives are approached by a shady character who offers to get their colleagues out of an Iranian prison in exchange for a considerable amount of money to be paid into an escrow account (meaning the money isn't handed over till after the deal). After debating the matter, they decide to refuse because they suspect they're being set up for a bribery charge.

* ''Literature/ThePragueCemetery''. The VillainProtagonist Simonini takes this role when the secret police use him to get some French radicals together for a bomb plot so they can be arrested.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner''. This trope causes the failure of the escape attempt in "Checkmate". Number Six works out how to identify the spies among the inhabitants of the Village, and thus is able to recruit a team of genuine prisoners. [[spoiler:Unfortunately on the night of the escape the prisoners become paranoid that Number Six is an agent provocateur trying to incite them, so denounce him to Number Two.]]

Common conspiracy theory trope. See also {{Astroturf}}. Not necessarily one of LesCollaborateurs, though he or she may double as this. Not to be confused with a HoneyTrap.

Not to be confused with the 1984 Music/{{Foreigner}} album.

** This is also one of the more famous specialities of the Alpha Legion according to the fluff. Famously provoking much of the Imperial Eastern Sector into riots during the Horus Heresy as a means of destabilizing the necessary supply lines for the Seige of Terra. However, in novels it is better shown by both the Night Lords Trilogy and the Blood Gorgons in the novel Emperor's Mercy. On the tabletop, this is traditionally shown by a larger than average number of cultists.

* In the wake of the 2016 US Presidential election, an investigation (still ongoing) into Russia's use of this trope was opened to determine just how far it reached. Most of these "Troll Farms" utilize social media (e.g. Tumblr and Reddit), while others bought ad-space on Facebook and other, more established sites.

* This is pretty much the point of ''Film/StarWarsAttackOfTheClones'' mixed with a FalseFlagOperation. Count Dooku is sent to stir up the galaxy against Chancellor Palpatine in order to make it so the latter can justify seizing more power. The reason its the former and not the latter is the troops on the ground had no idea they were just cannon fodder for Palpatine's goals and the Separatist cause was never meant to succeed.

* This is pretty much the point of ''StarWarsAttackOfTheClones'' mixed with a FalseFlagOperation. Count Dooku is sent to stir up the galaxy against Chancellor Palpatine in order to make it so the latter can justify seizing more power. The reason its the former and not the latter is the troops on the ground had no idea they were just cannon fodder for Palpatine's goals and the Separatist cause was never meant to succeed.

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO COINTELPRO]] was an American government program of Agent Provocateurs deployed between 1956 and 1971. Agents were sent to infiltrate the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, among others.

* This is G's role in ''Agent G: Infiltrator'' from the ''Literature/AgentG'' series. After TheMole is eliminated from the InternationalRefugeeSociety, he is sent to infiltrate the Carnivale. From there, he plays on the prejudices and ambitions of all the characters before turning them against one another. It kicks off an EnemyCivilWar and while it's only a brief one, it allows him to accomplish his mission. He, notably, feels pretty awful about the whole thing at the end as psychotic or not, he'd befriended at least one of the Carnivale's agents.
* In ''Red Seas, Red Skies'' of the Literature/GentlemanBastards series, Locke and Jean are forcibly recruited by the Magistar of the city they're robbing to try to start a pirate uprising so he can he crush it in order to increase his personal power. Given both Locke and Jean are not only thieves but priests of thievery, this is literally against their religion--but so is dying.

** In the HandOfThrawn Duology, this is the role of "Vengeance", supposedly a grassroots organization of citizens outraged at the political crises ''du jour'', [[spoiler: actually an Imperial infiltration team of maybe a dozen guys, posing as a massive organization]]. In addition to starting riots and otherwise stirring up trouble, they use high-tech stealth blasters and redirection crystals to make it appear that planetary forces (and in one case, Han Solo) are shooting back at protestors. In their final act on Bothawui, they go one step further, [[spoiler: arranging for the planetary shields to be shut down, and infiltrating members onto selected parts of the multispecies fleet in orbit to incite an all-out war by bombarding the planet]].

* Throughout history, Agent Provocateurs have been sent inside a few social movements with the intent to destroy them and stir up controversy to help discredit the movement. As a result, they are often used as scapegoats when protests turn ugly. TheOtherWiki provides a list of proven and suspected cases [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_provocateur here]].

* Throughout history, Agent Provocateurs have been sent inside a few social movements with the intent to destroy them and stir up controversy to help discredit the movement. TheOtherWiki provides a list of proven and suspected cases [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_provocateur here]].

[[folder: Live Action -- Film ]]
* The film ''Film/{{Matewan}}'', about labor unrest and the formation of a miner's union in 1920s West Virginia, had the Baldwin-Felts Detective Organization engaged in this activity, through [[spoiler: their [[TheMole mole]] in the union]] persuading a young miner to plant a bomb to shut down one of the mines.
* ''Dark Blue World'' (2001). One of the inmates in the post-war prison in Communist Czechoslovakia suggests they steal a tool from the doctor's office and use it to break out. Later he admits the guards put him up to it, so they could have an excuse to beat up the protagonist. According to the DVDCommentary this was TruthInTelevision.
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* ''The State Councilor'' novel contains enough of these to make Literature/ErastFandorin swear he'll never take political cases again.