Jackson Cane
Staff Writer
Is the Earth actually round? Is Tupac alive in Cuba? Do 5G cell towers emit the coronavirus? While these questions can be seen as a laughingstock to some, others risk their time, commitment, and now even their own liberties trying to get to the bottom of it.
With the spread of Coronavirus almost everywhere in the world, mostly European places within the United Kingdom have heard of this conspiracy or even seen it. Across Britain, there have been over 30 acts of vandalism and or arson against wireless towers and other cellular gear. Technicians on the job have even been harassed by people.
In this age of technology and social media, conspiracies are easy to get behind and seek. Facebook groups, YouTube videos, and other social media platforms are being used to gather more adherents to this idea that 5G is dangerous with false information and scare tactics. Alexandre Alaphilippe, executive director of the E.U. DisinfoLab, a group for tracking virus conspiracy theories located in Brussels said, “Most conspiracies stay online, but this is having real-world impact.”
Facebook communities added half a million new followers over two weeks and continue to grow as people seek more answers to this virus, considering people’s own leaders don’t know.
Although most of the arson and acts of vandalism are taking place in the United Kingdom, reports have released of the conspiracy being found in over 30 countries such as Japan, Uruguay, and other non-western countries.
As claims about 5G and what it is linked to are not new, real scientific support still lacks as it has before. Claims made by Russia in prior years said that it was linked to brain cancer, autism, tumors, and more. These claims failed to explain why or even how the new technology caused this. Now, countries on lockdown have to contend with citizens who are in some cases leaving their homes to cell towers due unfounded fears.
