The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an apology for an “unacceptable and disturbing” personalized license plate that the agency said displayed hate speech related to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The watchdog organization StopAntisemitism posted a photo on X of the license plate on a Cybertruck that celebrated “terrorism against the Jewish people.”
In the photo, the license plate read “LOLOCT7.” LOL is an abbreviation for laugh out loud.
The watchdog organization says the plate seems to reference Oct. 7, when Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250. The attack triggered an ongoing retaliation by Israel in neighboring Gaza.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an apology for an “unacceptable and disturbing” personalized license plate that the agency said displayed hate speech related to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The watchdog organization StopAntisemitism posted a photo on X of the license plate on a Cybertruck that celebrated “terrorism against the Jewish people.”
In the photo, the license plate read “LOLOCT7.” LOL is an abbreviation for laugh out loud.
The watchdog organization says the plate seems to reference Oct. 7, when Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250. The attack triggered an ongoing retaliation by Israel in neighboring Gaza.
The department apologized that the personalized plate was not rejected during the review process.
A spokesperson for the department told The Times the license plate should not have passed the review process and, after it was flagged on social media, many people who alerted the department found it offensive.
“The use of hateful language is not only a clear violation of our policies but also a violation of our core values to proudly serve the public and ensure safe and welcoming roadways,” the statement said.
