Conspiracy theorists burn 5G towers claiming link to virus
Mobile network phone masts are visible in front of St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. The Chinese tech firm Huawei has been designated a "high-risk vendor" but will be given the opportunity to build non-core elements of Britain's 5G network, the government has announced. The company will be banned from the "core", of the 5G network, and from operating at sensitive sites such as nuclear and military facilities, and its share of the market will be capped at 35%. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — Conspiracy theories linking new 5G mobile networks and the coronavirus pandemic are fueling arson attacks on cell towers in Europe.
Some 50 fires targeting cell towers and other equipment have been reported in Britain this month, and about 16 in the Netherlands.
Attacks were also reported in Ireland, Cyprus and Belgium.
Popular beliefs and conspiracy theories that wireless communications pose a threat have long been around.
But the global spread of the virus at the same time that countries were rolling out fifth generation wireless technology has seen some of those false narratives amplified.
