Conspiracy theorists continue burning 5G towers claiming link to coronavirus
Attack on phone masts
Conspiracy theories that wireless communications pose a threat have long been around, but the global spread of the coronavirus at the same time that countries were rolling out fifth generation wireless technology has seen some of those false narratives amplified.
A scene that has repeatedly been on view several times in recent weeks in Europe is an assailant destroying 5G towers, claiming link to coronavirus.
Some 50 fires targetting cell towers and other equipment have been reported in Britain this month. Three people were arrested. Telecom engineers have been abused on the job 80 times, making the UK the nucleus of the attacks.
Some 16 towers have been torched in the Netherlands, with attacks also reported in Ireland, Cyprus, and Belgium.
To this end, officials in Europe and the US are watching the situation closely, concerned that attacks will undermine vital telecommunications links at a time they're most needed to deal with the pandemic.
Posts threatening to attack phone masts have been getting popular on the social media too.
The current wave of 5G theories dates back to January, when a Belgian doctor suggested a link to COVID-19. The theories gained momentum in 2019 from Russian state media outlets, which helped push them into US Domestic conversation, disinformation experts say. But there's no evidence that wireless communications - whether 5G or earlier versions - harm the immune system.