British govt sanctions Oyakhilome’s TV station for airing ‘inaccurate’ claims linking 5G with COVID-19

The United Kingdom broadcast regulator, Ofcom, has sanctioned Loveworld Limited following the broadcast of Christ Embassy founder, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s claim on 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The preacher had in April claimed that the plan by the Chinese government to install the 5G network in the Southeast Asian nation led to the outbreak of the COVID-19 which had infected over four million people and killed 300,000 others across the world.

He also said the panic created by the disease is part of an evil scheme to vaccinate everyone against their wishes.

However, in a statement on Monday, the British agency stressed that although there was no prohibition on the broadcast of controversial views which challenged official authorities on public health information, the unsubstantiated claims in the broadcast could undermine viewers’ trust in official health advice with potentially serious consequences for public health.

Ofcom said Loveworld Limited did not adequately protect viewers from the potentially harmful content in the programme, adding that the claims were not accurate.

The statement read:

“Loveworld News featured potentially harmful statements about the coronavirus pandemic and adequate protection was not provided to viewers. Additionally, statements were not presented with due accuracy.

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Ofcom said Loveworld which is broadcast on satellite in the UK, would be required to show a statement of the watchdog’s findings. The UK agency further stated that it was considering imposing further sanctions.

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