Of course the left is provoking the violence. Even though they know they would be slaughtered like sheep, it would just reinforce their belief that they are the eternal victims of injustice, or some such crap. Liberalism gets its strength on the premise that certain classes of people have been victimized. And the left believes it's their sole duty to set it right, even if it means taking a bullet for whatever cause of the day. They actually have some twisted belief that martyrs go on living after they've been sacrificed to the cause.
If you doubt me, look how they worshiped the dead doper George Floyd.