Winnipeggers join global protests against rollout of 5G wireless technology

Dozens of Winnipeggers took part in a global protest against 5G on Saturday.

While the Winnipeg event was more of an information session, Margaret Friesen, spokesperson for 5G Winnipeg awareness, said it’s important for people to know the risks of 5G small antennas.

“We’re looking at long-term effects which include cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis —you name it, it’s there,” Friesen said.

“We also have short-term concerns. There are people who have what’s called electrosensitivity and they can be affected on the short-term but with headaches, nausea, fatigue, sleep disturbances, heart abnormalities, confused thinking.

“It’s a very long list.”

Similar events and rallies were planned in 200 cities around the world, according to the website stop5ginternational.org.

“The issue is microwave radiation, which has been steadily intensifying for over two decades courtesy of the wireless revolution,” reads a media release on the website.

1:40 Kingstonians for Safe Technology protest against 5G networks

A spokesperson for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), however, told Global News the radio frequencies used by 5G have been used for years in applications like fixed wireless communications and satellite internet services.

“The potential health effects of RF energy from mobile communications have been studied for decades,” the spokesperson said.

“According to national and international governments and agencies, such as the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, and many others, there is no substantiated scientific evidence of harmful health effects from RF technologies used within national and international safety standards.”

Still, Friesen said more research still needs to be done.

“They’re ignoring a whole segment of science which needs to be taken into consideration to set appropriate standards and that should be done before there’s any rollout,” she said.