Meaning of false flag | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A ruse, in the days of sail, in which an attacking ship would fly the colours of its enemy until close enough to open fire.
2. A diversionary or propaganda tactic of deceiving an adversary into thinking that an operation was carried out by another party.

Equivalents

Examples

“Using what the bureau calls a "False Flag" operation, F.B.I. agents posing as Russian intelligence officers contacted Mr. Pitts in August 1995, long after it believed he had ceased his spying activities, and feigned interest in reactivating him as a means of confirming his spying activities and determining how much information he may have provided to Moscow.”

“Now, that is not just offensive, it’s stupid. If the government had actually hired child actors, there is no way their stage parents would have stopped talking about it. “Well, he didn’t get the Tide commercial, but he did book a leading role in a government-sponsored false-flag attack! It’s the same director who did the moon landing! We’re very excited!””

“The US has made noncommittal statements so far. Meanwhile, many experts on Russia have raised the possibility that the strike could have been a false-flag operation from Moscow.”

CEFR level