In local news ----- The Morons Are Playing With Matches.....
Why setting cell phone towers on fire won't stop coronavirus Danielle Clent·15:54, May 17th, 2020
Abigail Dougherty/StuffThere have been 15 arson attacks on cell phone towers in New Zealand in recent weeks.
Parts of NZ could lose phone and internet reception due to arson attacks on cell phone towers driven by coronavirus conspiracy theories, officials warn.
EXPLAINER: At least 15 cell phone towers have been set alight in suspicious circumstances across the country in recent weeks.
Similar incidents overseas have been linked to an online hoax linking 5G phone networks with coronavirus.
The suggestion of a possible link between the technology and the spread of Covid-19 was quickly shut down by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last month, but arson attacks continue.
Here's what you need to know about 5G technology, the recent spate of cell tower arson attacks and why the two have nothing to do with coronavirus.
WHAT IS 5G TECHNOLOGY?5G is the latest mobile broadband technology that has been rolled out in some places to replace 4G.
It has faster download and upload speeds but has absolutely nothing to do with any virus.
WHY IS 5G BEING LINKED TO CORONAVIRUS?The baseless theory which has been widely denounced by scientists and academics, alleges that Chinese citizens were given vaccines containing a "digitised" virus.
The theory alleged the virus which could be activated by 5G mobile technology, allowing governments to kill people remotely.
But there is no such thing as a digital virus, University of Waikato epidemiologist M R X Dentith has previously told Stuff.
Wider claims by fringe groups that 5G is dangerous are also not supported by mainstream scientists, who agree the radio wave band used by mobile networks lacks sufficient energy to damage cells.
Jason Dorday/StuffA cell phone tower on Ronald Place, Manurewa, was set alight in April.
WHAT CELL PHONE TOWERS HAVE BEEN TARGETTED?Masts owned by Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees have been subject to at least 15 suspicious fires across New Zealand since March, with the majority in Auckland.
A video showing one incident in south Auckland's Manurewa, which was posted to Facebook but has since been removed, appeared to show a man pouring fuel over the exposed cables of an under-construction tower.
Another man in the video could be heard saying "F... 5G" and "F... the New World Order" as they drive away from the scene.
More suspicious attacks followed and in the past week, four cell phone towers have been set alight.
On Tuesday, a cell phone tower on Comet Crescent in Mangere was set burned, while others were torched in Ōtāhuhu and Favona.
The latest, on Saturday, saw police officers called to Weymouth where a cell phone tower was on fire. Minutes later, they were alerted to a blaze at a power box, at the site of the tower, in nearby Clendon.
"Enquiries are underway into the circumstances around both incidents," a police spokeswoman said on Sunday.
SciFilmsDr Siouxsie Wiles urged people not to pass on false information about 5G.
WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?When microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles' was previously asked for her thoughts on the issue, her response was simple: "Just one endless scream from me on that front."
She said it was common human behaviour to search for patterns and find them where they don't exist in stressful times, such as a pandemic.
"This is a frightening time for everyone and people will be looking for a reason this has happened. 5G is just one of many useful things to hang the blame on.
"There is no truth in it so please don't read it and don't pass it on to anyone else."
During a Covid-19 press conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asked about the circulating conspiracy.
She initially said the question didn't warrant an answer, but eventually sent a clear and direct message to all New Zealanders on the matter.
"That is not true ... I can't state it clearly enough ... it is just not true," she said.
Abigail Dougherty/StuffThis cell tower in Papatoetoe, Auckland, was burned and vandalised earlier this month.
HOW ARE THE FIRES AFFECTING PHONE COMPANIES?Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees have all condemned the attacks and urged people to report any suspicious activity near cell phone towers.
Vodafone NZ said the vandalism was causing considerable damage, which could affect community safety because customers may not be able to call 111, contact family members or connect to the internet.
In a recent blog post, Vodafone NZ wholesale and infrastructure director Tony Baird said there had been a lot of reports about arson at cell sites "due to blatantly false conspiracy theories about 5G".
"While we won't give specifics as we don't want to encourage copycat activity, Vodafone NZ has also been subject to threats and activity, which is infuriating," Baird wrote.
Some Spark customers have experienced loss of service, text and data used following some fires, such as the one in south Auckland's Mangere.
Spark technology director Mark Beder said the attacks were inexcusable at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic.
The company said it was working with police about threats made to its cell tower sites, as well as some instances of arson.
2degrees chief of technology Martin Sharrock said the senseless activity was only causing more damage to homes and businesses.
WHAT ARE POLICE DOING?Police are working with firefighters to investigate the incidents.
Because of the geographical spread of the attacks, a police spokeswoman said there was no one officer in charge at this point.
"As with any unexplained and potentially suspicious fire, police will work alongside our FENZ colleagues to investigate the cause and, if relevant, hold any person/s responsible to account," the spokeswoman said.
Stuffhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/ ... oronavirus
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