On February 24, a quote attributed to Nino Tsilosani, a member of the Georgian Dream party, was disseminated on Facebook in connection with the heavy snowfall. The information card, which features a photo of the politician and the logo of the Imedi TV channel, reads, “The United National Movement is not the only one gloating over the snowfall; why are you making such a fuss, folks? Spring is coming, and the snow will melt; it won’t stay forever.”
The quote attributed to Nino Tsilosani regarding the heavy snowfall is fake and was not published by Imedi TV. No such statement can be found on the politician’s social media pages, and Tsilosani herself denied its authenticity in a Facebook post.
The Imedi TV company did not publish Nino Tsilosani’s quote. The image differs from the information cards that the television station typically posts on its Facebook page.
Nino Tsilosani did not publish such a post on social media. However, she responded to the circulating quote attributed to her, stating that it was fake. As for the heavy snowfall, her post mentioned, “All structural units are actively involved in addressing its consequences, and I hope we will be able to reach and assist each family as soon as possible.”
Heavy snowfall has hit several regions of Georgia. The situation is particularly severe in Guria and Adjara. Villages have been cut off from the outside world, electricity supply has been disrupted, and technical equipment is struggling to reach affected areas. Many citizens are criticizing the government for inadequate attention and response. Media reports also indicate that several people have died as a result of the snowfall.
Today, the official page of the Georgian government announced that the Defense Forces will be involved in assisting the population affected by the snowfall. Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili also commented on the situation, stating, “The disaster continues – well, not a disaster, it’s snow, and under these conditions, everything is being done to maintain communications.” Mamuka Mdinaradze also commented on the situation. According to him, one person had died due to the snowfall. He further stated: “Let me tell you something incredible— in the village of Ninoshvili, Lanchkhuti, a 106-year-old woman passed away, and people were writing that this was an extreme situation and that rescuers didn’t arrive in time and she died because of the disaster. Imagine, they were even attributing the death of a 106-year-old woman to the natural disaster, and these people are trying to spread panic further…”
Myth Detector has debunked numerous fake quotes, including those falsely attributed to members of the Georgian Dream party. Earlier this month, a fake quote attributed to Mamuka Mdinaradze regarding emigrants was also distributed.
About the source:
The fake quote attributed to Nino Tsilosani was published on Facebook by the account Marekhi Liparishvili, which was originally created under the name Gvantsa Gogoladze. The account’s profile picture does not belong to the user and can be found on multiple websites (1, 2). Marekhi Liparishvili is known for posting content against both the Georgian Dream and opposition political parties on social media.
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