AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Arsonists in the UK have been destroying 5G phone masts, apparently spurred on by a coronavirus conspiracy theory.
- A bizarre new conspiracy theory links new 5G technology, which will increase mobile connectivity speeds, with the coronavirus outbreak.
- Believers have reportedly set phone masts on fire and harassed engineers laying fibre-optic cables in the UK.
- The baseless theory has been circulating on social media since at least January but appears to have picked up steam during the first week of April.
- The UK government and telecoms industry have been forced to confront the conspiracy theory.
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A bizarre conspiracy linking 5G and coronavirus has taken hold in the UK and being peddled by conspiracy theorists and celebrities on social media.
The theory runs roughly like this: the rollout of faster 5G internet is either causing or acclerating the spread of the coronavirus. It's hard to pinpoint the source of the theory, and BI first heard a variant of the rumor in early March, but it appears to have picked up steam during the first week of April.
The conspiracy theory and its various offshoots are baseless but have led to real-world harm, with several arson attacks thought to have been perpetrated on 5G masts around the country.