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Confirmed False
An image circulating online shows the Deputy Transport Minister with the quote: "If people can't afford fuel, they should simply stop driving." The post presents it as a dismissive response to rising petrol prices.
Example Media Group Ltd. — registered in Cyprus, beneficial owner undisclosed
The image gives no date, venue or source for the quote. It simply places the sentence beside a photograph of the minister. Quotes that circulate without context are among the most common forms of political misinformation.
We searched official transcripts, parliamentary records and the ministry's press archive for the previous 18 months. The quoted sentence does not appear in any of them. No recording, broadcast or news report contains it.
The nearest real statement we found came from a press briefing in March. Asked about fuel costs, the minister said the government was expanding public transport routes so that "fewer households have to depend on driving" as prices change. The full transcript and video of the briefing are public.
The fabricated quote reverses the meaning of the original. The real statement describes a policy to expand alternatives. The circulated version turns it into an instruction to people who cannot afford fuel, which changes a policy remark into an insult.
The photograph in the post is from an unrelated ceremony, and the minister's expression has no connection to the topic of fuel. Reverse image searches show the photo was taken at a bridge opening the previous year.
The ministry issued a public denial and the minister's office confirmed that the quote was never said. The earliest copy of the image we could locate was posted by an anonymous page that regularly shares political content designed to provoke anger.
Confirmed False
False. The quote was never said by the minister and distorts a real statement about public transport.
Legal Context
National Law:
This content may violate provisions under the Criminal Code §XX regarding the dissemination of knowingly false information affecting public order.
EU Framework:
Relevant under Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), Article 34 — systemic risk assessment obligations for very large online platforms.
DSA Reference:
Platform notification submitted under DSA Art. 16. Response pending as of 2026-03-01.
Based on the evidence reviewed, the claim as stated is demonstrably false. The original source has a documented pattern of publishing misleading content, and the specific assertions made are contradicted by primary records and the official transcript of the minister's remarks.
This finding has been cross-referenced with two independent fact-checking organisations. No credible evidence supporting the quote was identified during the review period.
If new evidence surfaces, this report gets updated. Every change is logged. We're building toward cryptographic version control, so every update will be permanently auditable. Until then, changes are documented manually and dated.
Original Publication Date
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