Are you talking about the principle of lying about being vaccinated rather than standing up for the principle of not being forced to submit to a medical prescription that he didn’t want?
You are right, it’s a heavy fine. (Actually it’s not a fine. It’s a forfeiture, but the cost is the same.)
But what he did wasn’t “principled”. It was fraud. (That’s what Samm was addressing.)
A principled anti-vaxxer would have refused the mandate and stood up to take whatever penalty his disobedience drew. This guy tried to have it both ways. That was shady, not principled.
Tossing out the word “principle” from the discussion, you are correct in saying: