The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has apologized after issuing a license plate that appeared to mock the October 7 attack, although the son of the car owner said the phrase on the vanity plate was misinterpreted.
What’s New
The California DMV has issued an apology and pledged to change its review process after creating a license plate that read “LOLOCT7.”
The plate was affixed to a Tesla Cybertruck spotted in Culver City, California, Yahoo News reported, citing USA Today.
StopAntisemitism is appalled by the sickening display on a Cyber Truck plate in California, celebrating terrorism against the Jewish people. pic.twitter.com/n6e0d07sWY
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 12, 2024
The son of the Cybertruck’s owner said the DMV approved the vanity plates, and said that the wording on the plates was in Tagalog, not a joke about the October 7 attack.
Newsweek has contacted the California DMV and StopAntisemitism via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Some 100 people are still being held in Gaza, with many presumed to be dead.
Antisemitism in the U.S. rose significantly following the October 7 attack, according to statistics compiled by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents occurred in the year following October 7, ADL reported, which, it said, was the highest number of antisemitic incidents since 1979, when the organization first started tracking antisemitism in the U.S.
The October 7 attack also resulted in the war in Gaza, which has killed 44,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
Amnesty International has accused Israel of conducting genocide against Palestinians through its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Kirby Lee/Associated Press
What To Know
A photograph of license plates was posted by the StopAntisemitism account on X (formerly Twitter), which interpreted the phrase “LOLOCT7” as meaning someone “laughing out loud” at the attack.
The son of the owner of the plates told KABC that the plates were misinterpreted and were never intended to mock the October 7 attack.
The family is Filipino and the son said that the plates were supposed to be read as “LOLO-CT-7,” in reference to the Tagalog word for grandfather, “Lolo,” then “CT” meaning Cybertruck and “7” to reference the owner’s seven grandchildren.
The son also told KABC that this explanation was given to the DMV when the family applied for the plates.
What People Are Saying
The California DMV issued a statement, posting on X: “This is unacceptable and disturbing. The DMV is taking swift action to recall these shocking plates, and we will immediately strengthen our internal review process to ensure such an egregious oversight never happens again.
“We sincerely apologize that these personalized plates were not rejected during our review process.
“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.”
StopAntisemitism said on X: “StopAntisemitism is appalled by the sickening display on a Cyber Truck plate in California, celebrating terrorism against the Jewish people.”
The son of the owner told KABC: “I think this is just a total big misunderstanding… We have great empathy for anyone who has experienced any hatred. We would really appreciate, in turn, for anyone that’s seeing this or hearing this to have any empathy toward our family because we had no ill intent for anything.”
What Happens Next
The DMV has removed the plates, and has said that it will work on its review process to ensure that nobody was offended by future plates.
