The Hoof District Police continues its enforcement activities against strip clubs and brothels: last night (Monday) another strip club, (the fourth in number) was closed in the area and this was by the decision of the Haifa Local Affairs Court which stated that the club will be closed immediately due to an immediate and serious danger to public order.
The request to close the place was submitted by the Haifa Municipality in cooperation with the Coastal District Licensing Lawsuits who brought confidential intelligence information before the judge. This activity joins the closing of three other strip clubs in the area and thus practically the work that the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women demanded to be done in the coastal district is almost completed.
The end of "Girls"
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It should be noted that this is a victory for the municipality of Haifa, which after a long struggle in the court granted its request and issued an immediate closure order for the club that operated without a license. In its decision, the court accepted the arguments of the municipality according to which the club acted contrary to the policy of the municipality regarding the operation of sex businesses in the place where it is conducted and the refusal of the police to give permission for the business.
The owners of the club, located at 56 Histadrut Boulevard in front of the "Heart of the Bay" mall, submitted an application for a business license to the Haifa municipality in 2013. In the application, the club was presented as a place intended for performances, and after receiving all the required approvals, only a temporary permit was granted. The permit is granted subject to the fact that if it turns out that there is an activity characteristic of sex business, the permit will expire.
Following complaints received by the Haifa municipality, an inspection was carried out which revealed findings that the activity at the club does not meet the requirements of the temporary permit issued at the time and that a strip club is being run there. As a result, the temporary permit was not renewed, but the owners of the club chose to ignore it and continued to operate it as a strip club. Following this, the municipality applied to the High Court with a request to issue a closure order to the club.
The municipality's claims were based on the policy it implements in regards to prohibiting the operation of businesses of this type, in certain places, as they have a clear potential for sexual crime. The reason for this: there is a concern that the public is being exposed to the club's activities against their will, and this in itself gives legitimacy to criminal activity, so it must be fought harshly. It should be emphasized that the police also refused to grant the place a license in the case and therefore there is a public interest in stopping the activity at the club immediately. The owners of the club argued in court that the activity in the club corresponds to the activity for which the permit was granted, i.e. a club for performances and events and in no way did they operate a strip club.
The judge of the Court of Local Affairs, Jada Basul, stated in the verdict: "Haifa Municipality has provided the necessary proof that the club operates a striptease business without a legal business license. Accordingly, I order the immediate closure of the business and prohibit the transfer of ownership or possession of the business to another."
She also stated that she does not take lightly the economic damage that may be caused to the respondents in the event that the order is granted, and the livelihood of the local employees and the respondents will be affected, but maintaining public peace and security outweighs the personal economic interest of the respondents.
The court even continued and agreed to the municipality's request to leave its decision prohibiting the operation of the two signs of the business placed in front of it facing Histadrut Blvd.: one is the huge illuminated electronic sign, and the other is also illuminated, which is placed on the roof of the building. In addition, the court agreed to the municipality's request not to suspend or delay the execution of the closure order if an appeal is filed.
Attorney William Shukier, who represented the Haifa municipality in the case: "This is a fight of first-class public importance and I welcome the court's decision."
Mayor Hadva Almog and the municipality's legal advisor, Adv. Rashef Chen, congratulated Adv. Shokier, for the way the case was handled, the determination and legal knowledge he demonstrated. The fight achieved a significant and important victory for the residents of Haifa.
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