What are false flags and agent provocateurs?
Circuses a-plenty
I am writing this essay for “no reason” and “not about any event in particular.”
At all times, but particularly during times of war, it is important to think of both domestic and international media as a kind of circus. It is not that they are incapable of any truth at all. But it is still a performance; a kind of magic show. If you think of yourself not as an individual person, but a member of a populace, you might ask: where does the power structure want me to look? Which incidents do they select as important to their narrative, and which do they deemphasize, or leave out completely? What do they want me to feel, and why, and who do they want me to identify as threats to my safety?
And most importantly — if the circus is successful in winning me and my community over, what government policies would we then support?
Since the genocide began and indeed for decades longer than this, Israel has been incapable of existing without help from the power structure’s propaganda arm. But now that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for wanted criminal Satanyahu, and the death toll rises as the evils of Zionism bleed from Palestine to Lebanon to Syria, the narrative of consistently portraying Israel as the victim becomes difficult if not impossible to maintain.
But this doesn’t mean the power structure has stopped trying.
We have entered a time where we must be extra careful of the circus, as the circus directors are becoming more and more desperate. So it is a good time to remind ourselves of the concept of false flags and agent provocateurs so that we can try our best to designate truth in a world of lies.
These are two tools frequently used to attempt to designate villains in the circus, and manipulate the opinions of populaces:
False Flags
A false flag is a deceptive act in which a group carries out an operation (like an act of violence or terrorism) and tries to place the blame on another group. The goal is to justify a responsive action against an innocent or opposing party, or to gain advantage politically, militarily, or socially amongst public opinion. False flags are essentially a way of trying to control a narrative. They are a tool to manipulate the public into villainizing someone the deceptor wants to characterize as a villain.
After a false flag happens, the covert aggressor hopes to point to the event as evidence that a military invasion against an opposing party, or repressive law against a populace, is justified. They also will disseminate the deceptive version of the story through propaganda, to influence the populace’s opinion on which measures would be needed to respond to the event. For example, if Country A wanted to go to war with Country B, Country A could send its own three-later-agents to stage a violent event from within its own country. They could then pretend Country B is responsible by getting their powerful media friends to run the story. The populace might then support a war with Country B even if this would not be something they would support otherwise.
Behind a successful false flag, true actors will never be discovered. But when false flags fail, the deceptor will be perceived as exactly who they are: a liar and manipulator. The Lavon Affair in 1954, for example, consisted of Mossad conducting bombings on British and American targets in Egypt. Mossad’s goal was to blame the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian nationals for the attack, so that the British government, which had been intending on withdrawing from Egypt, would keep its occupying troops there. The event however failed, and Israel ended up looking accurately like manipulative Zionists, which is why we know that Mossad was responsible for the event today.
If evidence does not emerge proving a false flag is indeed false, however, the narrative may become cemented in the populace’s understanding. This means an innocent player may go down in history as the one responsible for an atrocity, and our understanding of history may be wrong forever.
Agent Provocateurs
Agent provocateurs are deceptors (either an individual or group) that infiltrate organizations. This is done in order to incite actions from within the organization which could be used to discredit, destabilize, or criminalize it.
For example, during the Cold War, there was a military program called Operation Gladio that took place all over Europe. After WWII, the British government had established a network of auxiliary guerrilla units all across Europe, and these were leftover after WWII came to a close. These units were backed by US and British intelligence agencies, and organized together by NATO. During the Cold War, the CIA wanted to stop the spread of communism, so agents from the guerrilla units were used to infiltrate left-wing and communist groups to incite violence from within. This was done in an attempt to discredit communists and influence elections against them.
Essentially, agent provocateurs impersonate members of the opposing group to gain trust. For example, say like the above you are an agent who wanted to promote the ideology of capitalism and discredit the communist ideology. You could then locate and join a communist group or protest, wear a shirt with a red star, and wave a flag with a hammer and sickle, so that you would look like a communist both to the group and outside viewers. Wearing the symbols does not actually make you a communist, but the costume will make people believe you are. In costume, you can then encourage radical or illegal activities which might tarnish the reputations of the communists you are attempting to portray. Afterwards, your allies could then leak the story to the media in the hopes that it will encourage the populace to become more anti-communist. If you have powerful connections to powerful organizations or politicians, all the better, as you can then get them to help repeat and cement the narrative.
We have already seen in our contemporary era some examples of events that appear to be staged on purpose in order to designate victims and villains within the media narrative. This may keep happening in our contemporary era, so it may be a good idea to try and examine each incident individually to determine which events are accurate depictions of what happened, and which are false flags or agent provocateurs intended to manipulate public opinion.
Unmasking agent provocateurs
When we are uncertain of the truth of an event, here are some questions we might ask to determine what it is true and what is a deception:
What specific evidence links this individual to the group or movement you claim they represent?
Can you provide documentation proving this person’s involvement with this movement?
What is the evidence of this person’s existence prior to this specific event?
Does the agent’s digital footprint appear authentic, or is there a possibility it was created by a three letter agency? (Eg, a fake Instagram account)
Can you clarify why specific individuals or groups were initially blamed for this event, and whether alternate explanations were considered or dismissed?
Were the suspect’s identity and affiliations verified through independent means?
Were the individual's social media, public statements, or affiliations independently verified or based on circumstantial evidence?
Why did this event occur now, and how does it align with certain players’ (for example, your own government’s) current political or military objectives?
Why did this individual’s actions deviate significantly from the known behavior or principles of the movement they supposedly represent?
Are there any significant policies, laws, or operations that have been proposed or enacted as a direct result of this incident?
Why was this individual’s affiliation with the movement immediately assumed or publicized without conclusive evidence?
The goal of these questions is to request specific evidence, demand independent verification, challenge premature conclusions, and leverage media and public opinion. If officials resist providing proof, you can draw attention to lack of transparency.
Above all, for those is worried about how causes they align with may be falsely portrayed in the media, it is important for us to ourselves uphold values central to one’s movement, such as resisting violence and protecting innocents. If this is done, they cannot accuse your side of anything unless it is a lie, and by exposing the lies all we have to do is let their narrative fall apart on its own.
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Some articles and writers I’ve been reading on Substack:
Hillary Clinton Accuses Her Own Students of being FOREIGN AGENTS by Aaron Mate and Katie Halper
The US Gave Israel 30 Days to Increase Aid to Gaza. Here’s What it Did Instead by Zeteo News
Israel: We Should Halve Gaza’s Population in 2 Years by Owen Jones
How close is the Israeli army to collapse? by Asa Winstanley
France officially declares that Netanyahu is above international law by Laura and Normal Island News
Ukraine has lost a third of its population since the start of Russia's invasion: what's next? | the microscope 🔬 by Declan O’Mulrooney
As Most Ukrainians Prefer Ceasefire With Russia, Washington Says More Ukrainian Teenagers Should Die by Bryce Greene
Thanks for an important and informative post, Eleanor. I'm going to share it in the post I'm writing right now.