‘The worst kind of fake news’: UK government blasts 5G coronavirus conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories linking 5G mobile telecommunications masts with the spread of the Covid-19 illness have been blasted as “dangerous nonsense” and “the worst kind of fake news” by UK government officials.
The baseless theories have gained traction recently, prompting apparent arson attacks on masts and leading to engineers working on communications infrastructure being threatened by anti-5G campaigners.
Discussing the theories at the UK’s daily coronavirus briefing on Saturday, cabinet minister Michael Gove dismissed them as “dangerous nonsense.”
NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, went further, blasting them as “complete and utter rubbish” and “the worst kind of fake news.”
“Those are also the phone networks that are used by our emergency services and our health workers and I'm absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency,” Powis added.
Despite scientific studies repeatedly concluding that the high-speed communications system does not pose a threat to humans, 5G fear has escalated during the coronavirus outbreak. A plethora of celebrities, including actor Woody Harrelson, boxer Amir Khan and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, have been among those sharing the conspiracy theories.
Discussing the theories at the UK’s daily coronavirus briefing on Saturday, cabinet minister Michael Gove dismissed them as “dangerous nonsense.”
NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, went further, blasting them as “complete and utter rubbish” and “the worst kind of fake news.”
“Those are also the phone networks that are used by our emergency services and our health workers and I'm absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency,” Powis added.
Despite scientific studies repeatedly concluding that the high-speed communications system does not pose a threat to humans, 5G fear has escalated during the coronavirus outbreak. A plethora of celebrities, including actor Woody Harrelson, boxer Amir Khan and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, have been among those sharing the conspiracy theories.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
