Trying to sway people's opinions by blaming it on the protestors and forcing their own violent protestors into that group. It's something I haven't thought about before.
Where it gets shady is where they cross the line. There is often reports of protestors being arrested and showing their badge and going free...
Protestor groups do not have strategies to identify infiltrators especially non violent groups.
Some groups explicitly allow trouble makers to flourish like the black bloc where everyone wears black and mask to hide any trouble makers.
[1]: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322488668_Thugs_and...
[2]: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...
[3]: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/04/chinese-govt-need-hire...
If you want to link them to a two-dimensional, simplified political spectrum, they're closest to fascism.