In April a Manurewa cell phone tower was set alight motivated by a Covid-19 conspiracy theory relating to 5G mobile networks. Video / Facebook
COMMENT:
It's now clear that what seemed a fringe crowd of people sharing wild conspiracy theories about 5G mobile technology can no longer be ignored as they have elected to become a danger to all of us.
In New Zealand and the rest of the world, people are attacking mobilephone towers which they think are transmitting 5G signals.
The attacks are becoming more frequent and posted on social media which no doubt inspires copycats. One Facebook user posted a video bragging about setting a mobile phone tower, apparently in Manurewa, on fire.
I contacted the person via Facebook but his account was deleted after the video was widely circulated.
If it's not apparent already, this is not just stupid, mindless vandalism but burning and damaging mobile phone towers puts everyone at risk.
The Telecommunications Forum industry organisation warned that the attacks could lead to people not being able to make 111 emergency calls.
Damaging cell towers could cut off people who need data and internet access to work from home, and manage their health and to order food online. We use phones to stay in touch with each other when we can't be together in person.
Mobile networks really provide an essential service, especially when disasters like earthquakes strike, and during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This has been shown on a number of times, and there's no need to debate it further.
It is a testimony to the rank stupidity of the people committing the acts that the vast majority of the attacked towers aren't even 5G but 4G/3G and the videos and pictures of the vandalism are taken with smartphones and posted over mobile networks.
In the case of the Rural Connectivity Group tower outside Kaitaia that was damaged by arson last month the site was being constructed and hadn't been switched on.
Seriously, if you believe 5G is that bad and harmful, why go near the towers? Why carry a smartphone at all?
The anti-5G mania has really taken hold in Britain, with over 40 towers being hit by arson, and telco engineers being attacked.
Anti-5G conspiracy nutters are even wrapping phone towers in barbed wire to stop the technicians from accessing them.
A New Zealand woman posted a photo to Facebook holding an anti-5G banner this past week. Photo / Facebook
Unfortunately, the idiocy is spreading far and wide via social media, reaching millions of people and egging them on.
Well-known actors like Woody Harrelson and John Cusack have posted anti-5G nonsense on Instagram and Twitter, ditto Naomi Wolf to name a few. I know this because their messages have appeared on my timelines, with others ridiculing their mindless notions like the air in Belfast being soft and calm like in the 70s because there's no 5G in the city.
Belfast has 5G and as for the 70s being soft and calm during the Troubles, well… no.
Elsewhere on Facebook the local anti-5G crowd proudly posted pictures of themselves protesting by supermarkets and streets with banners over Easter when they should have been in lockdown to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The police warnings not to break lockdown were clearly not heeded.
Social media companies have said they will try to stop the flood of anti-5G disinformation and conspiracy theories, but the efforts seem pretty ineffective and easy to evade.
Whatever YouTube is doing isn't working because there are absolutely loads of 5G coronavirus clips posted on the site. They are easily found, because as always, YouTube's algorithm is very helpful in that respect and has no idea what mind warping material it unearths for viewers.
One local anti-5G group fearing that Facebook might close it down has renamed itself to avoid being hit by the social network's ban hammer.
A person posting in the same group advocated against mobile phone tower attacks, because that could lead to the government taking action against the anti-5G conspiracy theorists.
Ladling it on, another person suggested it is in fact government infiltrators who are behind the arson attacks, to close down the lovely peaceful anti-5G movement.
There's always room to make conspiracies even more conspiratorial, especially when some thoughtless or cynical scientists appear to lend credence to the wild theories. The scientists are mercilessly debunked by their peers, but that doesn't help as you can't reason with those who reject reason.
To be abundantly clear: There is absolutely zero evidence that weak, non-ionising radio signals used by any mobile phone technology, be it 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G harm birds, bees, trees or human beings.
Despite what some people claim, there really isn't a global conspiracy, funded by billionaires, to install 5G as a weapon to depopulate the world. And no, 5G absolutely does not cause Covid-19. If you think that, you're wrong, and it's not an excuse to burn down mobile phone towers.
