INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesThe UK's mobile networks have reported a further 20 cases of phone masts being targeted in suspected arson
attacks over the Easter weekend.Trade group Mobile UK said it had been notified of incidents in England, Wales and Scotland
One of the targeted sites provides mobile connectivity to a hospital in Birmingham.The figure represents a lower incidence rate than had
been the case the previous weekend.Mobile UK added it had received no reports of staff being targeted over the period.Attacks on 5G masts
pre-date the coronavirus pandemic
But there are concerns a surge in the amount of vandalism has been caused by conspiracy theories, which falsely claim the deployment of 5G
networks has caused or helped accelerate the spread of Covid-19."Theories being spread about 5G are baseless and are not grounded in
credible scientific theory," said a spokesman for Mobile UK."Mobile operators are dedicated to keeping the UK connected, and careless talk
could cause untold damage
"Continuing attacks on mobile infrastructure risk lives and, at this challenging time, the UK's critical sectors must be able to focus all
their efforts on fighting this pandemic."Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Vodafone said one of the masts
attacked was used by patients and staff at a hospital in Birmingham
The chief executive of Vodafone UK added that one of the
targeted sites serves Birmingham's Nightingale hospital."It's heart-rending enough that families cannot be there at the bedside of loved
ones who are critically ill," wrote Nick Jeffrey on LinkedIn."It's even more upsetting that even the small solace of a phone or video call
may now be denied them because of the selfish actions of a few deluded conspiracy theorists."Imagine if it were your mum or dad, your gran
Imagine not being able to see or hear them one last time
All because you've swallowed a dangerous lie."The minister for digital infrastructure had earlier described such attacks as being
"irresponsible and idiotic".Mobile UK's announcement came hours after media regulator Ofcom said it was assessing comments made by ITV
presenter Eamonn Holmes about 5G technology and coronavirus.On Monday, he had cast doubt on media reports which had explicitly refuted the
myth that the two are linked.But this morning, he clarified his position saying: "There is no connection between the present national health
emergency and 5G, and to suggest otherwise would be wrong and indeed it could be dangerous."Fresh attacksThere have also been reports of
potential cases since the Easter break.Three men have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a phone mast was on fire in Dagenham,
Essex.The Met police told the Barking and Dagenham Post: "Some evacuations were carried out as a precaution, but residents have since been
allowed to return to their homes
There are no reports of any injuries."Police in Huddersfield have also said they are trying to determine exactly how a phone mast came to be
on fire in the early hours of this morning.The fire destroyed communications equipment used by the emergency services as well as three
mobile phone network providers, the local fire service said.Recent attacks on telecoms infrastructure have not been limited to the UK.On
Saturday, the newspaper De Telegraaf reported there had been four incidents in the Netherlands over the previous week
It said in one case, arsonists had left an anti-5G slogan painted on the damaged equipment.There have also been reports of a suspected case
in Ireland, where two masts caught fire on Sunday
Network provider Eir said the affected infrastructure was not being used for 5G, but was being upgraded to boost 4G coverage for a nearby
hospital and the surrounding area.Unfounded theoriesConspiracy theories linking 5G signals to the coronavirus pandemic continue to spread
despite there being no evidence the mobile phone signals pose a health risk.Fact-checking charity Full Fact has linked the claims to two
flawed theories.Image copyrightReutersImage caption
There have dozens of reported attacks on telecoms equipment over the
past weeks
One falsely suggests 5G suppresses the immune system, the other falsely claims the virus is somehow using the
network's radio waves to communicate and pick victims, accelerating its spread.While 5G uses different radio frequencies to its
predecessors, it's important to recognise that the waveband involved is still "non-ionising", meaning it lacks enough energy to break apart
chemical bonds in the DNA in our cells to cause damage.Earlier this year, scientists at the International Commission on Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection completed a major study of related research into the topic.While it recommended slightly tighter limits on the
transmitting capabilities of handsets themselves to minimise any chance of damage caused by human tissue being heated, its key finding was
that there was no evidence that either 5G networks or earlier systems could cause cancer or other kinds of illness.The second theory appears
to be based on the work of a Nobel Prize-winning biologist who suggested bacteria could generate radio waves.But this remains a
controversial idea and well outside mainstream scientific thought
In any case, Covid-19 is a virus rather than a bacteria.There's another major flaw with both these theories
Coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has yet to be deployed, and in countries like Japan and Iran that have yet to adopt the
