Multiple cell towers in the United Kingdom have been set on fire because of a conspiracy theory that connects 5G technology with the coronavirus outbreak, BBC News reports.
Fires have been set in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Belfast. Four mobile phone masts servicing Vodafone were set on fire in the last 24 hours, according to CNBC. A spokesperson for telecommunications company EE added that a fire last week involving a mast in Birmingham is being investigated, but said that particular cell tower was not a 5G mast.
"We're aware of a fire involving a phone mast, but are awaiting further details on its cause,” confirmed a spokesperson for West Midlands Police.
The British Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in a tweet last week that “there is absolutely no credible evidence of a link between 5G and coronavirus.”
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove described theories linking the coronavirus to 5G as “dangerous nonsense,” and National Health Service Director Stephen Powis said during a press conference that 5G infrastructure is absolutely necessary during this ongoing crisis.
"I'm absolutely outraged and disgusted that people would be taking action against the infrastructure we need to tackle this emergency,” Powis said.
Mobile UK, the trade association for the top British mobile network operators, said in a statement: "This is not acceptable and only impacts on our ability as an industry to maintain the resilience and operational capacity of the networks to support mass home working and critical connectivity to the emergency services, vulnerable consumers and hospitals."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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