Cyprus: Second cell phone antenna torched despite no 5G plans

Cyprus’ telecoms authority said on Tuesday unknown arsonists have torched a second mobile telephone antenna despite government efforts to quell “groundless” fears that it’s moving to install a 5G antenna network.

A small, but vociferous, online campaign against 5G alleges in social media posts that emissions from the network’s antennas pose a serious health risk and may be linked to the spread of Covid-19 by weakening the human immune system.

CyTA said the attack targeted a 20-year-old installation in the coastal town of Limassol that has nothing to do with 5G. The first antenna that was set ablaze two weeks ago in the same town was also an older installation.

CyTA urged authorities to get to the bottom of the attack, and said it’s looking at ways of protecting its installations.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades had condemned the first attack as a “criminal act” that endangered the lives of people with chronic ailments who rely on their mobile phones for medical assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Anastasiades said Cyprus isn’t currently installing any new 5G network and that any decision to do so will be taken based solely on European Union directives and World Health Organization recommendations.

Police said they're continuing a probe into a number of social media posts on suspicion of incitement. [AP]