People refusing to pay coronavirus fines, only 25% of fines paid so far
The value of the fines handed out to restriction violators since the pandemic broke out has reached NIS 212 million. But only NIS 38 million have been paid so far.
By TOBIAS SIEGALIsraeli border police officers check citizens on Jaffa Street in downtown Jerusalem on October 7, 2020, during a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.(photo credit: NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90)
Only 84,568 fines of the 366,564, about a quarter, that were imposed on people who violated coronavirus restrictions in Israel were actually paid, according to data released by the Enforcement and Collection Authority on Monday and reported by Walla! News.The value of the fines handed out to restriction violators since the pandemic broke out has reached NIS 212 million. But only NIS 38 million have been paid so far. Additionally, according to Doron Tashtit, head of the Enforcement and Collection Authority, the final payment dates of some 72,000 fines have expired, and people have started receiving letters notifying them of increased fines accordingly.This phenomenon may be explained by an increasing number of people who claim that the coronavirus restrictions have not been maintained by the same public figures who've imposed them and sternly refuse to pay the fines until those public figures are held accountable, too. A popular trend that has since risen is detailed guides that can easily be found on social media and throughout the web, that explain step-by-step how one can avoid receiving a fine during an encounter with police forces or how one can avoid paying after such a fine has been issued.One Facebook group called "Not Above Us" has over 4,000 members and has taken the issue one a step forward, with the people behind it promising to keep fighting against what they call "picky enforcement."Tali Oz Albo, one of three women who came up with the idea for the group told Ynet that "the group was established with the purpose of organizing those invisible citizens and to guide them on how to proceed when they see the president hosting his family, the prime minister his kids, when they see Litzman, Nir Barkat [violating restrictions] when they see Minister Ohana running through marketplaces without wearing a mask and hugging bystanders, when they see Ikea open up as small businesses are collapsing."The two other people behind the group are Shirly Kantor, a social activist, and attorney Shirit Kasher. The latter is the daughter of well-known Israeli philosopher and linguist Prof. Asa Kasher, who has joined the fight himself, according to Globes."As long as the fines have not been canceled, the idea of not paying them but demanding to be sentenced in court is the right decision in my view," Kasher wrote. "This seems to be a case of improper discrimination between the simple citizen and public figures, who are not only not above us - but on the contrary - have the duty of serving as law-abiding role models." In September, Tashtit emphasized that contrary to baseless rumors, the fines would not be cancelled at any point.Meanwhile, the coronavirus cabinet has recently discussed increasing the amounts of fines for violating coronavirus restrictions.
