Fact Check: No, Germans did not abandon their cars on roads to protest fuel hike
A photo showing long lines of stranded cars has gone viral on social media with the claim that people in Germany protested against fuel price hike by abandoning their vehicles in the middle of the road.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 Feb 2021 3:04 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A photo showing long lines of stranded cars has gone viral on social media with the claim that people in Germany protested against fuel price hike by abandoning their vehicles in the middle of the road.
The Hindi text superimposed on the image translates to, "In Germany, people abandoned their cars in the middle of the road to protest fuel price hike. After seeing 10 lakh cars standing still on the road, the German government reduced fuel prices."
Fact Check:
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found the same image on several websites. Click here, here, and here to view them.
We found that the viral image was taken in Beijing, China, in 2010. It was one of the longest traffic jams that lasted for 12 days and was 60 miles long. The jam occurred in the Beijing-Tibet route in August 2010 and a number of motorists were stuck.
The same image was used by The Telegraph on 1 October 2012 in an article on the traffic jam. It said the government had granted free road travel during the holidays in China.
Although Germany has witnessed protests against fuel price hike several times, the viral image is not related to Germany. It was a massive traffic jam in China.
Hence, the claim is FALSE.
