The arson attacks against 5G masts in the UK have become serious enough that carriers are joining together to put a stop to the incidents. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have issued a joint statement both urging people not to set fire to cellular masts, threaten engineers or spread conspiracy theories falsely linking 5G to COVID-19.
There’s no scientific evidence to suggest a link, but the theories have been spreading widely on social networks like Facebook and Nextdoor.
“Not only are these claims baseless, they are harmful for the people and businesses that rely on the continuity of our services,” says a joint statement from EE, o2, Three, and Vodafone. “They have also led to the abuse of our engineers and, in some cases, prevented essential network maintenance taking place.”
All of the main UK networks are now calling on people to help stop the spread of disinformation online, and to report abuse of key workers helping to maintain networks. “Please help us to make this stop,” the networks ask in a typically British-natured way. “If you witness abuse of our key workers please report it. If you see misinformation, please call it out.”
