Two weeks after the start of confinement to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the United Kingdom continues to be one of the most affected countries in the world, with 50,000 cases and 5,000 deaths. A high figure in part due to the late reaction of the authorities, who put their time on the principle of collective immunity before adopting more radical measures.
But for some Britons, the cause of the epidemic lies elsewhere: several telecommunications antennas were set on fire last week following the spread of rumors which establish a link between the coronavirus and the deployment of 5G, reports the BBC.
In a video posted on Twitter, we can see a team of firefighters putting out a burning relay antenna in Birmingham. Two other antennas were also set on fire, in Liverpool and in County Merseyside.
A second widely shared video shows a woman harassing technicians who install fiber optics. "Do you realize that when they start 5G, everyone will die?" That is why they are building hospitals. We're all going to end up on a respirator, ”she accuses.
These events angered a director of the British public health system. " It's completely stupid ," said Stephen Powis at a press conference. The mobile network is extremely important to all of us, especially when we ask people to stay at home. And it is essential for emergency services and health personnel. I am indignant, disgusted that some may attack one of the most essential infrastructures for our response to this health crisis . ”
In a joint press release, the four main British operators condemned these relay antenna fires. "There is no scientific evidence of a link between 5G and the coronavirus, " they insisted. And they are right: countries like Iran, where 5G is not yet present, are hard hit by the coronavirus, while Korea, which is one of the first countries in the world to have deployed this technology, has succeeded to limit the impact of the epidemic.
Widely spread rumors
In recent weeks, rumors accusing the fifth generation of the mobile network of promoting the epidemic of coronavirus have multiplied. Opponents of 5G, who were already worried about the supposed dangerousness of this technology, saw in the coronavirus an obvious manifestation of its harmfulness. They believe in particular that 5G weakens the immune system and that the coronavirus uses electromagnetic waves to communicate and spread better, according to the British fact-checking organization Full Fact.
Very popular on social networks where they were shared by British personalities such as the boxer Amir Khan and the presenter Amanda Holden, these conspiracy theories were also broadcast on local radios. One of them was sanctioned by Ofcom, the British audiovisual regulatory authority.
Platforms facing false news
Following these events, British Culture Minister Oliver Dowden decided to talk to Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter to find a way to limit this false information, according to the Guardian. The newspaper also reveals that Facebook has deleted a group of 5G opponents, where they were encouraged to destroy telecommunications equipment to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Contacted, the social network declared "to have started to remove the contents which link Covid-19 and 5G, and which could lead to physical damage ".
YouTube, meanwhile, has limited the visibility of videos that promote theories linking 5G to the coronavirus. They no longer appear in the suggestions but will not be removed from the platform unlike those which contain misleading medical information.