UK: Brits are destroying 5G towers due to coronavirus. What?
What's the story
At a time when coronavirus cases are skyrocketing and high-speed internet is more important than ever, people in the UK are setting their 5G towers on fire. According to a report from BBC, they are taking this bizarre action in light of rumors that the potentially deadly disease stems from 5G infrastructure. Here's what is happening in the UK.
Theories
Conspiracy theories linking coronavirus pandemic with 5G
Ever since COVID-19 started spreading, conspiracy theories linking the outbreaks with 5G roll-out have been doing the rounds on social media platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor. The misleading posts suggest that 5G is the cause of COVID-19, and the disease originated in Wuhan because the Chinese had recently started rolling out 5G. Now, the same is happening in other 5G regions, they added.
Incident
As a result, people have started burning 5G masts
In the wake of these rumors, people in the UK have now started destroying 5G phone masts. At least three 5G towers were set on fire over the last few days, prompting police and fire services to come in and douse the flames. Plus, workers laying fiber optic cables for 5G installations were also harassed by people manipulated by these theories.
Twitter Post
Here's an example of what people are doing
This is the consequence of those bonkers Facebook conspiracy theories about 5G. Key workers getting harassed on the street. pic.twitter.com/5z35r6sabp
— Charlie Haynes (@charliehtweets) April 2, 2020
Quote
NHS Director expressed disappointment on the matter
At a recent briefing over the coronavirus situation, Stephen Powis, the Director of the National Health Service (NHS), said, "I'm absolutely outraged and disgusted that people would be taking action against the infrastructure, we need to tackle this emergency."
Response
No evidence to connect 5G with coronavirus outbreaks
In response to the burning of 5G towers, UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport tweeted out that there is absolutely no evidence of a link between 5G and the novel coronavirus or its spread. It is also worth noting that the disease has hit countries like India, Iran, and Japan, where 5G has not even rolled out yet.
Other rumors
Rumors on coronavirus are spreading like wildfire
The latest case is another example of how rumors around coronavirus, which has killed nearly 65,000 worldwide, can mislead the public into taking dangerous and disgraceful steps. Many false claims have also been doing the rounds in India, tricking unsuspecting people into trying fake remedies, medicines, and treatments to protect themselves from the deadly virus.