UK broadband engineers are being harassed in the streets during the lockdown as baseless conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to the 5G roll-out are spreading on social media. Celebrities propagating this type of misinformation on Twitter, and Facebook has even made the matter worse, as 5G masts are also being burned.
Facebook already took down an anti-5G group in which users are being instructed to post videos of them destroying their 5G-capable gadgets, believing that the act may curb the spread of COVID-19. Over the weekend, a telephone mast in Birmingham was burned allegedly by anti-5G protestors. While the incident is still under investigation, network operator EE said that the attack "looks likely at this time," an act of arson.
"To deliberately take away mobile connectivity at a time when people need it more than ever to stay connected to each other, is a reckless, harmful and dangerous thing to do," EE said in a statement. "We will try to restore full coverage as quickly as possible, but the damage caused by the fire is significant."
EE isn't the only UK telecom being threatened by coronavirus conspiracy theorists. Broadband engineers working for BT Openreach has begun asking the public to stop with the abuse, explaining that they are not working with mobile networks. Even so, the group posted its pleas on Facebook groups known for their anti-5G beliefs.
Such incidents are being frowned upon not only because they're illegal -- such acts are disrupting networks being used by individuals working from home to continue to provide for their families, those working in emergency services, and students who wish to continue their studies via online courses. Moreover, telecom and broadband engineers are considered essential workers are working under the guidelines provided by the government.
It's become clear at this point that people are drawn to creating conspiracy theories every time a new generation of mobile phone telephony is introduced. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, some groups were already voicing their apprehensions toward 5G, claiming that the technology brings with it some health risks. Interestingly, those who believed that mobile signal caused brain damage and certain cancers are the same individuals spreading the baseless belief that it's 5G that caused the coronavirus disease.
It's been already established that phone systems are in no way the cause of the diseases being linked to them -- international radiation experts have all agreed to this. It's also worth noting that countries that don't have 5G coverage yet have reported numerous cases of COVID-19, such as the Philippines and Iran.
