Where did the rumors "5G spread virus" start?

Although officials and scientists have come forward and made clear that the idea of ​​connecting the new coronavirus to 5G is "completely nonsense", it does not seem to prevent the rumor from continuing to be sought after.

The latest news is that after the United Kingdom, there have also been incidents in the Netherlands where the 5G signal tower was arson and vandalized. Some people even planned a larger event to protest 5G through social media on Easter Day, April 12.

A British mobile operator said that under the influence of conspiracy theory, some telecommunications employees have been threatened.

One

On April 10, local time, the signal tower in the northern city of Groningen was set on fire.

According to Dutch media reports, at least six signal towers were set ablaze and destroyed. In the past week, the Netherlands has seen four similar incidents.

In Europe, similar incidents occurred earlier in the UK.

On April 2, local time, a 21-meter-high mobile signal tower in Birmingham, England was set on fire, and firefighters put out the fire after two hours. The next day, a 5G signal tower in Merseyside was also set on fire ...

The British "Guardian" reported that at least 20 cell phone towers were intentionally set on fire or vandalized.

In this regard, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said that two consecutive incidents of burning mobile signal towers coincided with the widespread spread of "baseless" conspiracy theories such as "5G caused the spread of the new crown virus."

The British "Daily Mail" bluntly said that these incidents are related to the previous rumors of "5G network spreading new crown virus".

In fact, on European and American social networks, there are not many people who believe and spread the rumors that "5G causes the new crown virus", and even many celebrities participate.

In response to various rumors since the outbreak, a research institution at Oxford University found that 20% of the new crown virus rumors were spread through stars or politicians, and their content on social media accounted for nearly 70% of the total content posted.

It is conceivable that the star politicians who have hundreds of millions of fans once spread rumors, their "influence" is also huge.

two

Tracing back to the origin of this ridiculous claim, the beginning may come from the health summit held in Arizona on March 12, a doctor named Thomas Cowan claimed in his speech that 5G caused the spread of the new coronavirus.

He even eloquently said: There is no outbreak in Africa because there is no 5G.

This rumor was widely circulated in the United States, and was forwarded by many celebrities and spread to more Western countries.

As the number of confirmed cases in Africa increased, this statement was soon "slapped". However, the spread of this conspiracy theory by foreign social media has not stopped, and many interpretations have been deduced ...

The rumors are flying everywhere, and some people have also smelled business opportunities.

A British company claimed that it has developed a product that can prevent 5G radiation and protect users from the new corona virus, each priced at up to 350 pounds.

In this regard, the four major telecommunications operators in the UK issued a joint statement, refuting the relevant claims, that the conspiracy theory linking the 5G signal base station and the spread of the new crown virus is dangerous and false information, and it is completely wrong.

The BBC's "Fact Check" column also interviewed a number of scientists and made it clear that the idea of ​​linking the new coronavirus to 5G is "completely nonsense", without any basis, and biologically impossible.

British officials subsequently came forward and pointed out that this "conspiracy theory" is completely nonsense.

three

In fact, anti-5G organizations have always existed abroad, but why did the reaction so intense this time?

In this regard, some media articles pointed out that on the one hand, the spread of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, and related topics are naturally highly concerned; on the other hand, the rumors can quickly spread, reflecting the social panic behind them.

Christian Lindmeyer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, once said that people should treat the new coronavirus rationally and not panic.

But knowing is easy and hard. In reality, many people hold an attitude of "Ning believe in what they have, not believe in nothing" about some rumors and intentionally or unintentionally become a spreader of rumors.

As this newspaper has reported before, every time a disaster or major public health event breaks out, there will be irrational behavior caused by various rumors:

Internet-based granite can prevent the infection of the new crown virus, causing netizens to rush to buy; others believe that drinking alcohol can prevent the virus ...

Fortunately, many social media have recognized the harm caused by the spread of related rumors and took action.

Facebook stated that they will delete those statements that "may cause harm to the real world" and will check the authenticity of other related statements.

The video site YouTube also said that videos linking 5G and new coronary pneumonia will be taken down because they "cited unconfirmed medical content."

Disaster can best test human nature. Even more terrifying than the spread of the virus is the proliferation of false information, and the rapid spread of panic.

As the WHO Director General Tan Desai said, in the global fight against the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, "requires facts, not fears", "requires science, not rumors," "requires unity, not stigmatization."

Obviously, the battle against false information and rumors is equally important in the global fight against the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic.