Well, in what sense? I mean, I'm having a difficult time connecting the dots here between what an agent provocateur actually is and the people you described above...
AP's are in every social cause. Gay,Straight,Animals,Unions,immigration, you name it, they're there.
Their job..is to either derail the cause, stall the cause or manipulate the cause.
The very best example i can give is the 60's movement. How it started and where it ended were two entirely different mind sets.
Sounds sinister, but really, its nothing more than the government or rival bodies keeping their investments and interests from harms way.
causes, are good and just, nobody in their right mind would think other wise.
It's an insurance policy of sorts for the official bodies... they have people on the inside to keep their ears to the ground. They usually come in the form of Gurus, experts, veterans or just ( normal ) people but they always cast doubt and gossip in the midst of the group to unsettle.
example.. You and i decide that this world needs to get rid of smelly feet... so, we crank up the machine, we build the website, make the vids, and troll the place for our cause. At first it's not even at Cult status yet... but word gets around and people gather... we seize a public event and get into the local press.. ( now ) it gets interesting.. up until that point, we were two nutters rallying against the crime against humanity of smelly feet. So, our numbers increase, we think its down to connecting with people who feel the same, suppressed people naturally, and think we're doing good.
but then ( help ) arrives, people with ( skills...connections ) they join our cause and become our closest allies. Or, they are the quiet ones who never say a word, but never miss a meeting or event.
they are not there to harm you.... they are simply there to control tension that may be caused by mass hysteria.
Now, lets say the government is just about to sign the biggest contract the world has ever seen for products that cure smelly feet. You will find that our group would become National even global over night... we'd be under the impression it was us kicking ass, but in reality, they had us scouted for a long time...why should the government got through the hassle of building their own groups when they already exists... it's much easier to just move into a house than it is to build one. Especially when time is of the essence... and in politics, it usually is.
but lets take the opposite example.. lets say their big contract causes smelly feet, which causes health problems and then death, and our little feeble group has got some proof, cold hard proof..... The second you and i take the stage with this proof we get shut down.
That is an Agent Provocateur.
