| USA TODAY
Climate activists protest at Garzweiler coal mine
Anti-coal activists staged demonstrations in and around a mine in West Germany on Saturday protesting against the continued exploitation and use of fossil fuels by Europe’s largest economy. (September 26)
AP
The claim: A photo shows a demonstration over fuel prices in Germany
This week, a post on Facebook resurfaced from May 2018 and regained viral status.
The report is about a demonstration over fuel prices in Germany, and contains an image of a highway with hundreds of cars. Dozens of drivers parked their cars in the street.
“In Germany, the government has increased fuel prices, in just one hour people have had their cars parked on the street, on roads and home,” the report said. “More than a million abandoned cars they had to lower the price. If people are smart, the corrupt can not achieve their goals.”
The USA TODAY could not reach the page behind the post for comment.
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The photo shows a traffic jam in China
In fact, the photo depicts a traffic jam in China, not a protest over fuel prices in Germany.
The Telegraph publishes the photo – which he attributed to Rex Features – on October 1, 2012, under the headline “Gridlock as China begins its ‘Golden Week’ holiday.”
” A decision to allow free road travel means hundreds of thousands of Chinese drivers spent the first day of mid-autumn in a roster.
Rex Features also has the photo on its website. The photo was one of six images of the traffic jam taken on September 30, 2012 in Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong Province.
There are some visible traffic signs in Chinese that have apparently also been cut from the viral post.
Snopes and AFP have previously uncovered other versions of the post.
There have been some large-scale fuel protests in Germany in the past, although they were much smaller than the ‘million abandoned cars’ that the viral post claims.
In September 2000, for example, protesters in trucks, tractors and taxis stopped traffic in several cities in Germany.
According to the Irish Times, about 250 truck drivers and taxi drivers in a three-mile convoy blocked the streets for several hours.
In Berlin, more than 2,000 trucks also blocked a central street, according to CBS News.
Our rating: false
Based on our research, the claim that a photo shows a protest over fuel prices in Germany is FALSE. In fact, the photo depicts a traffic jam in China. There have been some large-scale fuel protests in Germany in the past, although they were much smaller than the ‘million abandoned cars’ that the viral post claims.
Our sources for fact checking:
- The Telegraph, October 1, 2012, “Gridlock as China begins its ‘Golden Week’ holiday”
- Rex Features, September 30, 2012, “Cars at a traffic jam in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province”
- Snopes, May 20, 2018, “Show a photo of Germans at high fuel prices?”
- AFP, 24 April 2019, “No, it is not Germans who gave up their cars in protest against the high fuel prices”
- Irish Times, 16 September 2000, “Traffic is halted in German cities as protesters increase demands”
- CBS News, September 15, 2000, “German trucks drive over fuel prices Anti-fuel protests hit Germany”
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