Several 5G masts were set on fire as conspiracy theorists claimed they are linked to coronavirus, forcing British mobile network providers to debunk ‘baseless’ theories.
Shocking video shared on Facebook shows the 21m masts erupted in blazes, with firemen battling the fire.
Firemen tackled the flames on Spring Road in the Sparkhill area for two hours as police officers closed the road.
The MobileUK said it was concerning the crisis was being used for spreading untruths, adding some of the key workers of the industry are also being abused due to 5G theories.
According to West Midlands Fire Service, 8 firefighters attended the fire incident.
“We’re aware of a fire involving a phone mast, but are awaiting further details on its cause,” said a spokesperson for West Midlands Police.
Conspiracy theorists claimed in a now-deleted Facebook group that 5G sparked coronavirus.
There is no evidence that 5G technology poses any threat to people. Last month, it was confirmed as safe by the radiation watchdog.
According to Facebook, the group was banned and deleted for breaching its regulations as it has the possibility to cause real harm.
Many videos claiming to show 5G masts on fire were shared to a Facebook page, encouraging others to follow.
MobileUK said it is “concerning that certain groups are using the Covid-19 pandemic to spread false rumours and theories about the safety of 5G technologies.
“More worryingly some people are also abusing our key workers and making threats to damage infrastructure under the pretence of claims about 5G.
“This is not acceptable and only impacts on our ability as an industry to maintain the resilience and operational capacity of the networks to support mass home working and critical connectivity to the emergency services, vulnerable consumers and hospitals.
“The theories that are being spread about 5G on social media are baseless and are not grounded in accepted scientific theory.
“Research into the safety of radio signals including 5G, which has been conducted for more than 50 years, has led to the establishment of human exposure standards including safety factors that protect against all established health risks.”
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Replaced!