Telephone engineers abused and threatened over 5G conspiracy theories

Openreach engineers in the North East have been subjected to mindless verbal abuse and intimidation linked to a bogus 5G theory spreading on social media which claims that 5G is responsible for the coronavirus crisis.

An engineer working on a fibre installation in Washington was shouted at and threatened with physical harm while a colleague working on telegraph poles in Gateshead was verbally abused twice by different members of the public and accused of killing people by installing 5G.

Nationwide, dozens of engineers have been intimidated, including having bottles of water thrown at them, being threatened with physical harm, warnings that the Openreach network will be damaged, a huge amount of verbal abuse, including pretending to shoot at them with a gun hand gesture.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s regional partnership director for the North, said: “These recent attacks on our engineers, here and elsewhere in the UK, is not only deeply concerning but totally misjudged.

“They’re playing a vital role in connecting crucial public services, vulnerable customers and millions of friends, families and businesses. They are not working on installing 5G.

“Our engineers are designated key workers and closely following government guidance in terms of social distancing. At this time, they’re primarily focused on the build, repair and maintenance of connections that support critical national infrastructure.

“This work includes the NHS – where our engineers have been installing and upgrading phone and broadband services in support of the new Nightingale hospitals, including in Sunderland.”

The firm says there has been a 20 per cent increase in Internet usage across the North East since the lockdown began, with many people working from home and home schooling.

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