Woman needed medical treatment after her hand was sliced by a concealed razor blade when she tried to rip down an anti-mask poster
- Layla, 21, went to tear down a poster that stated, "masks don't work."
- When she tore it down, a razor hidden behind the poster sliced her hand.
- She needed medical intervention and tests for HIV and hepatitis in case the razor was contaminated.
A woman injured her hand when taking down an anti-mask poster that had a razor blade hidden behind it near Cardiff, Wales.
Layla, 21, works to remove posters that peddle misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
But on this occasion, ripping down a poster saying "masks don't work" led to an injury, as a razor blade sliced her hand.
The below embedded Tweet shows Layla's injuries - and contains uncensored language and images of blood.
The activist had to be tested by a doctor to check if the run-in with the razor had infected her with HIV or hepatitis.
Speaking to ITV News, Layla said: "I see all of this misinformation about 'it's just like the flu', it's completely wrong, it knocked me for six.
"By people spreading these posters and stickers,, it's going to lead to more people getting coronavirus."
Layla describes being left "scared and bewildered" by the incident.
Layla received a mix of support and abuse on Twitter after the incident - with some people saying she was "making it up for attention."
South Wales Police said anyone with any information about the incident should contact them.
"A 21-year-old woman has reported being cut by a razor blade found glued to the back of a poster.
"Her hand was cut while removing the poster from a pedestrian crossing in Cowbridge Road East, Canton, on Tuesday evening [July 27]."
Hiding razor blades behind posters have long been used by the far-right.
In December 2020, the British army was warned that neo-Nazis were concealing razors behind a flood of propaganda.
In May 2020, telephone engineers were alerted to a similar tactic as anti-5G protesters snuck sharp objects behind their campaign material.