5G conspiracy theorists in the UK are blaming telecoms engineers for the spread of COVID-19 and are attacking them with “booby traps.” It’s like if Kevin McCallister grew up and became an unhinged conspiracy theorist.
These conspiracy theorists believe that the 5G cell phone towers are causing the spread of the virus. They have not one but two theories to back up their beliefs. Theory #1: the towers weaken the immune system, which makes you more susceptible in being infected. Theory #2: the Coronavirus is able to travel through the “ether”.
So… which theory do you believe is more likely?
Although it’s easy to scoff at these outrageous claims, the theorists have taken this theory to dangerous lengths. They have taken it upon themselves to become vigilantes in the fight against the Coronavirus by attacking the unsuspecting engineers who work on these towers.
Warning: the upcoming picture contains feces.
Since the United Kingdom locked down in late-March to stop the spread, telecoms engineers have been the victims of attacks by these theorists. Naveed Qureshi, a London-based engineer, tells The Verge about the various attacks that engineers face at the hands of these theorists.
While some engineers have been shouted at with verbal abuse that range from insults to death threats, other workers are genuinely frightened for their safety during their workday. Engineers report that their vans get kicked or punched by theorists. One worker got spat on and had to self-isolate when they began to show symptoms of the Coronavirus.
The 5G conspiracy theorists also leave “booby traps” that consist of leaving razor blades or needles behind posters to stop the engineers from working on the towers. There also have been 90 cases of arson attacks on these towers, with the abuse of these engineers at 200 cases.
Charlie Haynes, a producer and reporter for the BBC, posted a video on his twitter, @charliehtweets, of workers getting harassed by a woman who is accusing them of killing people because they are setting up 5G. Telecoms engineers have unknowingly become the victims of a conspiracy theory that have violent tactics based off of public paranoia.
What the conspiracy theorists who have lit the towers on fire have failed to consider is that one of the cell phone towers was specifically for COVID-19 patients. A temporary hospital was built for the infected patients and Vodafone UK, one of the biggest telecoms companies, had built a mast to provide mobile connectivity for these patients and their families.
These 5G conspiracy theorists have definitely caused quite the panic amongst telecoms engineers and even became a barrier for Coronavirus patients to communicate with their families. If you want to go down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, make sure to read up on how The Simpsons predicted the Coronavirus.
