- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
The top four UK mobile operators have issued a joint statement asking for help to stop people burning 5G towers.
Multiple cell towers were targeted in the UK last week in apparent arson attacks, after online conspiracy theories have been falsely linking the spread of the coronavirus pandemic to the roll out of 5G. There’s no scientific evidence to suggest a link, but the theories have been spreading widely on social networks like Facebook and Nextdoor.
5G phone masts are being set alight in the UK, after online conspiracy theories have misleadingly linked the cell towers to the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC reports that at least three 5G towers were set alight within the last week, and police and fire services were called to extinguish the flames.
A Vodafone UK spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that four cell towers were targeted in the past 24 hours. Police have now launched investigations into how the 5G towers caught fire. At least one tower in Birmingham, operated by EE, doesn’t even provide 5G services but was still set on fire.