Editing False flag (section)

==Civilian usage==
The term is popular among [[conspiracy theory]] promoters in referring to [[covert operation]]s of various governments and claimed [[cabal]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Usckinski |first=Joseph |title=Five things to know about 'false flag' conspiracy theories |date=27 October 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/10/27/false-flag-theories-about-the-mail-bombs-are-already-widespread-here-are-5-things-to-know-about-conspiracy-theorists/ |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref> According to ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]]'', this usage mostly "migrated to the right", however because some historical false flag incidents occurred, historians should not fully cede the usage of the term to conspiracy theorists. Perlman says "The real danger is if we use the nonattributive 'false flags' as shorthand for conspiracy theories, without explaining what they are and who is promoting them." At the same time, Perlman writes that "people yelling that any attack attributed to someone on 'their side' was committed by 'the other side' drown out the voices of reason."<ref name="cjr">{{cite web |title=How the term 'false flag' migrated to the right |language=en |website=Columbia Journalism Review |url=https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/false-flags.php |access-date=2021-12-23}}</ref>