Things They Should Invent: standardized deprovocation procedure

With the arrival of the G20 in Toronto, all the usual concerns are coming up about authority figures planting agents provocateurs in with the protesters.

So what we need is standardized, universally-agreed-upon way of de-escalation any provocation. Anyone who suspects they are witnessing provocation should engage in the standard deprovocation procedures, and anyone who witnesses the standard deprovocation should also engage in the deprovocation procedure. This will prevent the provocateur from having influence, and might also draw attention to any provocateurs.

The standardized deprovocation should involve being calm and quiet, and should involve some easily visible sign that you are currently engaging in deprovocation. There also needs to be a generally agreed-upon social standard that having one's behaviour deprovoked is not a personal diss, for people who aren't agents provocateurs but just get over-excited by the energy of the crowd.

So how would a deprovocation work? Here's an idea as a starting point: when you witness something you believe might be provocation, you stop, turn away from the provocateur with your arms crossed like a Klingon discommendation ritual, and stay still and silent for 10 seconds. Then you proceed just like you were before, as though nothing had happened. If you witness someone else deprovoking, you also stop, turn in the same direction as the deprovocateur with your arms crossed like a Klingon discommendation ritual, and stay still and silent for 10 seconds. Once the deprovocation is over, forget about it. Don't scold or start a witch hunt for the original provocateur.

This particular method does have its flaws and I'm sure people could think of a better way, but you see what it achieves. The provocation cannot escalate or be interpreted as escalation if everyone is still and silent. Turning away from the provocateur eliminates their audience, so they cannot provoke. It is a visible gesture to witnesses and cameras that you, personally, are actively trying to de-escalate.

If a method can be agreed upon and used by a critical mass of people, it should make it impossible for anyone to successfully provoke and allow benign crowds to peaceably self-police.