A person who provokes or takes part in an insurrection.
It comes from the Latin insurgo, meaning “to rise up within”: so insurrectionists are, etymologically, the same as “insurgents”, even if that is normally a word for those who do not meekly accept western military rule.2021 January 13, Steven Poole, “'Insurrection': how an old word for an old thing was Trumped”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2021:
Defining the mostly white crowd that stormed the Capitol on January 6 as “insurrectionists” does more than set a narrative mood, it represents a major narrative shift—expanding the traditional role of the insurrectionist beyond the Black actor to the white one.2022 January 7, Hawa Allan, “What the History of the Word “Insurrection” Says About Jan. 6”, in TIME, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2022:
1 more example
Right-wing social media users are amplifying questionable interpretations of some of the clips, claiming they show law enforcement officials helping the rioters storm the Capitol, with some FBI officials acting as insurrectionists, coining the term “fedsurrection.”2023 November 19, Sara Dorn, “New Jan. 6 Videos Released—Launching Wild Conspiracies From The Far Right”, in Forbes, archived from the original on 22 Nov 2023:
insurrectionist
adj
Etymology From insurrection + -ist.
1
Involved in or characterized by insurrection.
The atmosphere was undeniably insurrectionist in nature, yet the police response was languid to the extent that one woman asked an officer when they would be leaving because "they have to fix up."2016 December 17, Paolo Kernahan, “Lack of Standards Fuelling Crime”, in Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, archived from the original on 17 Oct 2022:
The insurrectionist movement is mainstream, not simply confined to the political fringe.2022 January 6, Robert A. Pape, “The Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Aren’t Who You Think They Are”, in Foreign Policy, →ISSN, archived from the original on 07 Jan 2022: