In the video: promotional videos of the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon (photo: Jerusalem Municipality)
District Court Judge Aryeh Romanov, Chairman of the Regional Election Commission, today received in full a series of petitions submitted by the Jerusalem Revival faction, against a propaganda enterprise run by the Jerusalem Municipality in favor of Mayor Moshe Leon, using public resources. The petitions deal with a wide variety of propaganda actions carried
out by the municipality in favor of the mayor, and it was ruled that they are illegal. These actions include the distribution of publications about various municipal events under the title "With the blessing of Moshe Leon", the production of videos in which Leon serves as a "presenter", publications on billboards with his name, brochures summarizing the actions of the municipality, while attributing the actions to Moshe Leon and other elected officials in the city, and using the municipal messaging system and the municipal Telegram groups to distribute messages with his name and likeness.
110,000 candy bags at Simchat Torah with his name on them.
Moshe Leon (photo: official website, photo - Reuven Kapucinski)
The petitions also referred to the publications that are made while mixing content between Leon's personal Facebook page and the municipality's Facebook page, when Leon uses the municipality's content on his personal Facebook page as well, and to the publication sponsored by the municipality in the newspaper "The Harbinger", which was distributed on the eve of Passover, in which she appeared Blessing and photo of Moshe Leon
Another illegal propaganda was the distribution of about 110,000 bags of sweets in the synagogues on the holiday of Simchat Torah, on which the name of the mayor and his deputy appear, and various gifts that the municipality distributed with the name of the mayor.
In the petition, three videos produced by the municipality at a cost of over NIS 600,000 were shown in which Moshe Leon is a central figure.
In addition, the petition presented a booklet of achievements and self-glorification produced by the municipality at a cost of approximately 216,000 shekels and advertising space in the ultra-orthodox newspaper "The Herald" at a cost of 60,000 shekels.
In response to all the examples presented, the judge stated that no justification was found for the appearance of the mayor as the central figure in the videos, brochures and newspaper advertisements and that their entire purpose is propaganda.
In summing up, Judge Romanov stated that the municipality violated propaganda laws in many publications, and used public resources for the benefit of Moshe Leon on a huge scale.
The judge ruled that the municipality and Moshe Leon must pay a total of NIS 40,000 for accepting the petitions.
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"End of the personal propaganda campaign".
Moshe Leon on the run-in trip of the new section of the light rail (photo: official website, Avi Mizrahi)
The chairman of the Awakening movement, Adir Schwartz, said that "today we put an end to Leon's personal propaganda campaign, which is entirely funded by the money of the residents of Jerusalem, who pay the highest property tax in the country.
No more productions, videos, calendars and billboards at our expense.
It is appropriate that Leon pay the court costs, which the court ruled, from his personal pocket, and I urge him to do so.
Awakening in Jerusalem will continue to serve the residents of the city and fight for the purity of morals and the public purse."
Dr. Matan Gutman and attorney Ariel Merens, who represented the movement in the petition, said: "This is a precedent-setting and broad-based decision of the Election Commission, which outlines what is permitted and what is prohibited on the heads of Cities and local authorities ahead of the election year.
We welcome the decision of Judge Romanov, who accepted all our claims, and determined overwhelmingly that the Jerusalem Municipality and its resources acted in the personal service of Mr. Moshe Leon."
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