Coronavirus: British army called in to help quash online conspiracy theories

The 77th Brigade, which has previously been used against Isis, has been advising the government on how to tackle claims about Covid-19, writes defence editor Kim Sengupta

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The British army’s information warfare unit has been called in to counter an alarming rise in propaganda and conspiracy theories on coronavirus being spread online by groups with increasing international links, The Independent has learned.

The 77th Brigade, which has previously been used against Isis and extremist political groups, is part of the government operation against a coalition ranging from anti-vaccine and anti-5G activists to hard-right libertarians, who have been claiming that the pandemic threat is bogus and organising protests against lockdowns.

What were fringe rumours not so long ago, security forces have said, are now reaching a global online audience of millions through organised communications networks. There have been a spate of attacks on telephone masts amid claims that 5G is spreading the virus. The largest number, by far, has been in the UK with 62 masts being set on fire. The next highest has been in the Netherlands with 20, with smaller numbers in Ireland, Belgium, Cyprus and Sweden.