People would be shocked to know the amount of intel operatives (state sponsored and private) that are imbedded into the fringe of the right and left. They are at the rallies, protests and are generally the driving force of many groups (think Proud Boys, Antifa, etc). Sure there are plenty of true believers within these groups. But they are being led and handled for the most part.
Their objectives are many, but at the very least, keeping the public at eachothers throats and distracted with nonsense issues is a big one. The biggest fear of the corrupt elite is a united and mobilized public.