DMV apologizes for license plate that mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times on Dec 12, 2024

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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, formerly known as Twitter, 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 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 organization said the vehicle was spotted at the intersection of Jefferson and Sepulveda boulevards in Culver City.

On X, the DMV issued a statement Thursday, saying the department 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."

The department apologized that the personalized plate was not properly rejected during the review process.

A spokesperson for the department told the Los Angeles 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.

According to the department spokesperson, the license plate owner will be notified about language of their plate and the recall of their license plate. The owner of the vehicle has the right to appeal the department's decision.

The department will go through its license plate database to identify whether any configurations of this offensive language exists on any other license plates and recall them, the spokesperson said.

"StopAntisemitism was appalled to discover a vehicle with a license plate glorifying the 10/7 massacre of innocent Israelis," said Liora Rez, executive director of the organization.

"With the swift action of thousands of emails from our committed supporters, the California DMV has now recalled the plate," she said.

(Assistant Editor Luke Money contributed to this story.)