Editing False flag (section)

==Political campaigning==
Political campaigning has a long history of this tactic in various forms, including in person, print media and electronically in recent years. This can involve when supporters of one candidate pose as supporters of another, or act as "[[straw man|straw men]]" for their preferred candidate to debate against. This can happen with or without the candidate's knowledge. The [[Canuck letter]] is an example of one candidate's creating a false document and attributing it as coming from another candidate in order to discredit that candidate.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

In 2006, individuals practicing false flag behavior were discovered and "outed" in [[New Hampshire]]<ref>Steele, Allison, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312100830/http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060926%2FREPOSITORY%2F609260344%2F1219%2F48HOURS "''Bass staffer in D.C. poses as blogger: Bogus posts aimed at his political opponent''"]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312100830/http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060926%2FREPOSITORY%2F609260344%2F1219%2F48HOURS |date=12 March 2007}}, [[Concord Monitor]], 26 September 2006 (URL last accessed 24 October 2006).</ref><ref>Saunders, Anne, [http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/09/26/rep_bass_aide_posed_as_opponents_supporter_on_blogs/ ''"Bass aide resigns after posing as opponent's supporter online"''], [[The Boston Globe]], 26 September 2006 (URL last accessed 24 October 2006).</ref> and [[New Jersey]]<ref>Miller, Jonathan, [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0712FD3A550C728EDDA00894DE404482 ''"Blog Thinks Aide to Kean Posted Jabs At Menendez"''], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 21 September 2006 (URL last accessed 24 October 2006).</ref> after [[blog]] comments claiming to be from supporters of a political candidate were traced to the [[IP address]] of paid staffers for that candidate's opponent.

On 19 February 2011, Indiana Deputy Prosecutor Carlos Lam sent a private email to Wisconsin Governor [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]] suggesting that he run a "'false flag' operation" to counter the [[2011 Wisconsin protests|protests]] against Walker's proposed restrictions on public employees' [[collective bargaining]] rights:

{{Blockquote|If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions' cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions{{spaces}}... Employing a false flag operation would assist in undercutting any support the media may be creating in favor of the unions.<ref name="WisWatchLam">{{cite web |title=Indiana prosecutor resigns over Walker email |publisher=Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism |work=WisWatch.org |date=March 24, 2011 |author=Golden, Kate |url=http://wisconsinwatch.org/2011/03/email-to-walker-suggested-faking-attack-on-governor/ |access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref><ref name="CBSLam"/>}}

The press had acquired a court order to access all of Walker's emails and Lam's email was exposed. At first, Lam vehemently denied it, but eventually admitted it and resigned.<ref name="CBSLam">{{cite news |work=CBS News |last=Montopoli |first=Brian |title=Indiana prosecutor resigns for encouraging fake attack on Wisconsin governor |date=25 March 2011 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/indiana-prosecutor-resigns-for-encouraging-fake-attack-on-wisconsin-governor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412225147/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20047130-503544.html |archive-date=12 April 2012}}</ref>

Some conservative commentators suggested that [[October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts|pipe bombs that were sent to prominent Democrats prior to the 2018 mid-term elections]] were part of a false flag effort to discredit Republicans and supporters of then-President Donald Trump.<ref name="nbc1">{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Abbruzzese |first2=Jason |title=After 'false flag' narrative takes hold, some conservatives scramble to drown out far right |date=26 October 2018 |publisher=[[NBC News]] |website=nbcnews.com |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/after-false-flag-narrative-takes-hold-some-conservatives-scramble-drown-n924991 |access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref> Cesar Sayoc, motivated by his belief that Democrats were "evil", was later convicted of mailing the devices to Trump's critics.<ref name=sentence>{{cite news |title=Cesar Sayoc, who mailed explosive devices to Trump's critics, sentenced to 20 years in prison |date=August 5, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/cesar-sayoc-who-mailed-explosive-devices-to-trumps-critics-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison/2019/08/05/cf4b56e2-b79a-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html |access-date=August 7, 2019}}</ref>

On the internet, a [[concern troll]] is a false flag [[pseudonym]] created by a user whose actual [[perspective (cognitive)|point of view]] is opposed to the one that the troll claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to [[ingroup bias|share their goals]], but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow [[fear, uncertainty, and doubt]] within the group often by appealing to [[outrage culture]].<ref name="timemag">{{cite magazine |last=Cox |first=Ana Marie |title=Making Mischief on the Web |date=16 December 2006 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1570701,00.html |access-date=24 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113090041/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1570701,00.html |archive-date=13 January 2007}}</ref> This is a particular case of [[sockpuppet (Internet)|sockpuppeting]] and [[safe-bait]]ing.

During the [[2025 Canadian federal election]] campaign, [[Liberal Party of Canada]] strategists were exposed after their false flag operation failed. A [[CBC News]] journalist who was speaking with Liberal staff at a bar in [[Ottawa]] learned how "Stop the Steal" buttons were placed at a [[Conservative Party of Canada]] event. The operatives hoped attendees would wear them, which would allow Liberals to publicly conflate Conservative supporters and leader [[Pierre Poilievre]] with [[Donald J. Trump]]. After the false flag mission was reported by the journalist, Liberal leader, [[Mark Carney]], reassigned those involved.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKenna |first=Kate |date=April 13, 2025 |title=Liberal operatives planted 'stop the steal' buttons at conservative conference |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-oppo-csfn-1.7509217 |access-date=May 25, 2025 |website=www.cbc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/14/canada-liberals-stop-the-steal-buttons | title=Liberal staffers plant 'stop the steal' pins at Canadian conservative conference | work=The Guardian | last1=Gedeon | first1=Joseph | date=14 April 2025 }}</ref>

===Ideological===
[[File:Cooper bomb threat.gif|thumb|A bomb threat forged by Scientology operatives.]]
Proponents of political or religious ideologies will sometimes use false flag tactics. This can be done to discredit or implicate rival groups, create the appearance of enemies when none exist, or create the illusion of organized and directed persecution. This can be used to gain attention and sympathy from outsiders, in particular the media, or to convince others within the group that their beliefs are under attack and in need of protection.

In retaliation for writing ''[[The Scandal of Scientology]]'', some members of the Church of [[Scientology]] stole stationery from author [[Paulette Cooper]]'s home and then used that stationery to forge bomb threats and have them mailed to a Scientology office. The [[Guardian's Office]] also had a plan for further operations to discredit Cooper known as [[Operation Freakout]], but several Scientology operatives were arrested in a separate investigation and the plan was exposed.<ref>[[s:United States of America v. Jane Kember, Morris Budlong, Sentencing Memorandum|United States of America v. Jane Kember, Morris Budlong, Sentencing Memorandum]]; pp. 23–25.</ref>

According to ''[[PolitiFact]]'', some false flag conspiracy theories (such as claims that mass shootings are hoaxes) are themselves spread by [[astroturfing]], which is an attempt to create false impression of popularity in a belief.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why do some people think mass shootings are staged every time? |date=2019 |language=en-US |website=politifact |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/aug/08/why-do-some-people-think-mass-shootings-are-staged/}}</ref>