Rivlin. Criticized poster ban
Photo: Haim Zach
Court orders lifting of ban on election posters with female candidates
Egged Bus Cooperative, ad agency refuse to display campaign posters with images of women due to fears that ultra-Orthodox Jews would destroy property on which they would be hung
The High Court of Justice on Monday accepted an appeal submitted by the Wake Up Jerusalem movement, which is running for the capital's city council, and ruled that companies in Israel cannot refuse to advertise election posters displaying pictures of female political candidates.
Canaan Advertising Agency, which works with the Egged bus company, had refused to advertise the posters and claimed that Egged prohibited the hanging of women's pictures on the ad spaces it leases.
Upon learning this, the Wake Up Jerusalem movement appealed to Judge Eliezer Rivlin, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, who ruled that the company could not be ordered to advertise the posters. However he did criticize the prohibition, calling it "highly suspect".
The movement then petitioned the High Court of Justice, which determined that the prohibition was unlawful and proceeded to reprimand the bus company and the ad agency for refusing the movement's first appeal.
Canaan stated in response that its objection stemmed from the fear that ultra-Orthodox Jews would destroy the posters and the bus stops on which they hung. Egged claimed that Canaan had not informed the company of the desire to advertise the posters.
