Mark Steele (conspiracy theorist)

Steele claims that the 5G mobile phone network is a deadly technology, responsible for 400 deaths.[1] According to Steele, the 5G telephone network is part of a distributed "Kill Grid"[5] which includes other street-furniture such as lamp-posts.[6] He has repeated claims first disseminated by David Icke, that 5G networks are the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2016, a neighbour informed Steele that she believed newly installed street lights to be the cause of her nose-bleeds. Steele became convinced that these lamp-posts housed components of a 5G network, despite the council's claims to the contrary, and that this was the cause of his neighbour's illness.[7] Subsequently Steele expanded on this theory, claiming that children were being “microwaved in their beds“ by 5G.[8]

In 2018, Steele addressed the Democrats and Veterans Party, on the subject of 5G Networks. The video of his speech was widely shared on YouTube.[9][10] In 2019, he spoke at the "5G Apocalypse event", organised by "Bali-based New Age influencer" Sacha Stone.[11] BuzzFeed News and Vice News have reported that Steele and Stone used such events as well as legal defence funds to make money from their followers.[11][1]

Steele's activism has focused on Gateshead council,[12] who he has claimed are "secretly trialling the technology, causing cancer and microwaving babies in their beds".[13] Steele has described Gateshead councillors as “baby killers”,[14] and has claimed that the installation of 5G equipment in Gateshead has destroyed the local sparrow population.[4]

Gateshead council issued a statement that, contrary to Steele's claims, their street-lighting was not part of a "secret government trial", does not use any 5G mobile technology, and would not cause nosebleeds, miscarriages or cancer.[15][11] Steele's claims were publicised by the Daily Mail, causing the story to go viral online.[10]

In October 2018, Steele won a court case overturning a July 2018 "gagging order", which had previously prevented him from blogging his claims on his personal website,[16][17] but was placed under an injunction to stop him harassing council staff and councillors.[18][11][16] Later in October, Steele was convicted of having made threats against members of Gateshead council in April.[13][19]

Steele has promoted conspiracy theories and misinformation linking the launch of 5G Networks in Wuhan, China to the COVID-19 pandemic. Steele describes 5G as "genocide" carried by "the deep state".[20] When asked about links between 5G and coronavirus in April 2020, Steele told The New York Times: "It's looking a bit suspicious, don't you think?"[21] The next month, Twitter began labelling Steele's posts about 5G and the pandemic as "misinformation".[22]

In September 2020, he spoke at an anti-lockdown rally in Glasgow.[23][24]

On 19 September, Steele claimed that he has "raised tens of thousands" for the anti-mask and anti-lockdown causes, without any evidence to support his claim.[25]

Steele and fellow anti-vaccine campaigner and conspiracy theorist Kate Shemirani have been described as "controlled opposition" by supporters of David Icke and Piers Corbyn, both of whom distanced themselves from a 19 September 2020 "Resist and Act for Freedom" protest hosted by Shemirani and backed by Steele.[26]