Editing Agent provocateur (section)

{{Short description|Person who incites others to commit incriminating acts}}
{{Italic title}}{{Other uses}}{{Intelligence}}
An {{langnf|fr|'''agent provocateur'''|inciting agent}} is a person who actively [[Entrapment|entices]] another person to commit a crime that would not otherwise have been committed and then reports the person to the authorities. They may target individuals or groups.<ref>{{cite web |title=agent provocateur |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095355832 |website=Oxford Reference |access-date=31 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref> 

In jurisdictions in which [[Criminal conspiracy|conspiracy]] is a serious crime in itself, it can be sufficient for the {{lang |fr |agent provocateur}} to entrap the target into discussing and planning an illegal act. It is not necessary for the illegal act to be carried out or even prepared.

Prevention of infiltration by {{lang |fr |agents provocateurs}} is part of the duty of demonstration [[marshal]]s, also called stewards, deployed by organizers of large or controversial assemblies.<ref>Stratfor (2004)</ref><ref name="OCSE2007">Belyaeva et al. (2007), § 7–8, 156–162</ref><ref name="Bryan06">Bryan, Dominic "[https://www.berghahnjournals.com/downloadpdf/journals/aia/13/1-2/aia131205.xml The Anthropology of Ritual: Monitoring and Stewarding Demonstrations in Northern Ireland]", ''Anthropology in Action'', Volume 13, Numbers 1–2, January 2006, pp. 22–31 (10).</ref>