5G or madness disguised as necessity*.

Preamble : In the year 2020, this January 25, we give thanks, in his good grace, the communal power of Brussels to authorize us a  » static demonstration  » ; but  » a ban on any means of amplification other than a megaphone « . However, some means of amplification, advertisers have had some, notably Qualcomm, an American company active in the field of mobile technology (revenues of $25.3 billion) which, in September 2018, flooded Brussels with posters affixed on media owned by JC Decaux, with the message: « 5G will create many jobs. And our job is to create 5G. Huawei, on the other hand, displayed in all Brussels during the May 2019 election campaigns : « Vote for 5G. Voting is not only about of the candidates, but also of the ideas ». 

Why the stop5G.be collective ?

We are gathered today for the international day against 5G, while the Belgian collective stop5G.be was born in the continuation of the fight against smart meters, another « innovation » that the political-industrial sphere wants impose ourselves. 

In September 2017, in an appeal to the European Union, over 180 scientists and physicians from 36 countries warned against the dangers of 5G. In 2019, an international call, organized under in the form of petitions signed by 172,395 individuals and organizations of 204 countries and territories, is addressed to the federal government and Belgian regional. The dog barks, the caravan passes. As the Albert Camus said, the absurd is born of this confrontation between the human call and the unreasonable silence of the world. We are immersed in the absurd.

If we obviously believe that health is paramount in the fight against 5G, we are convinced that focusing on this one aspect is risky. Because the telecommunications industry and the manufacturers of connected objects have an army of scientists paid to get the results they want, creating doubt propagated by the media at their service. Le Monde, in September 2019 titled « 5G appeal: why this petition on waves and health is overly alarmist « . Remember that Le Monde is owned by Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and Daniel Kretinsky, multimillionaire businessmen who have surely some interest in seeing 5G deployed… In the political balance, economy and technology have more weight than health, and the doubters do their work and we are lead to a field where the two camps confront each other: those who believe in it and those who do not. 

He We must therefore also think upstream, at the source of the interests behind 5G projects. At this level, more camps of those who believe it or not, no more doubts:  5G is a project at the sole service of multinationals who expect extraordinary financial gains in a world where billions of objects would be connected — 5G would allow also an unprecedented control of the populations. 

Should we expect something from the political actors ? Recently, after to have questioned the office of the Minister of the Agenda Telecommunications and the Post Office, Philippe De Backer, for a meeting regarding our concerns about the 5G, its director for the Digital Agenda strategic cell, Telecoms and Post, Luc Windmolders, we will answer:

 » We not going to stop 5G. We are pursuing a policy that wants to stimulate the development of 5G as much as possible. If you would like a meeting on the effects — in my opinion non-existent — radiation, you must contact the authority competent. The federal government has no authority over radiation standards « .

Who is Luc Windmolders, to name but one? The director of the minister’s strategic cell worked at the Dutch telecommunications operator KPN and was, for the past two years, Chief Legal & Corporate Officer at BASE Company. Luc Windmolders has also served on the board of of the european industry association of ECTA telecoms.

The industries are pushing for a relaxation of standards, and place men and women in key positions to do this devoted to their cause. 

Can we expect the mass media to inform us? A few months ago, when a journalist from Le Soirwas told a discussion and exchange session on the subject of meters of the so-called communicating and 5G, in April 2019, Michel de Muêlenaere, journalist, will answer:  » Ras the bowl of the anti-everything. You won’t stop progress « . The dominant media that belong in Belgium to the most powerful families richest people in the country love Progress — and 5G — because it reports, and they have at their disposal journalists reverent and obedient. 

The RTBF, for its part, has been deploying considerable energy for years to get us to accept 5G. One article among others, of 2018, headlined  » Will Belgium be ready for 5G? » said : There is a timing to respect. The European Commission wants each Member State (and This also applies to Belgium) has a 5G coverage in, at least one city for 2020. And in 2025, it will be all the urban areas that will need to have 5G coverage. Including the main roads. We are really in the last line right ». 

But the question is in fact more profound, philosophical : what do we want for our future? It is almost certain that a climate change with unpredictable consequences will have place. While we should be completely overhauling our paradigm, it is proposed that we continue to overconsume and pollute, to replace our robust water, gas and electricity meters, and to electricity by communicating meters or to transform our cities into smart cities where everything will be connected. 

We do not want it.

For the stop5G.be collective

Alexandre Penasse

*Speeches at the world day against 5G — 25 January 2020 — Brussels

More info on :  www.stop5g.be

See also the article:  » New technologies and digital transition, the technocratic illusion at the light of 5G « , on www.kairospresse.be