California DMV apologizes for license plate seen as Israel attack mockery
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has apologized for the appearance of a controversial license plate that seemed to mock the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
According to media reports, the personalized plate, displayed on a Tesla Cybertruck, read ‘LOLOCT7’ and sparked outrage online. LOL is an abbreviation for ‘laughing out loud’.
The offensive plate was reportedly spotted in Culver City, near Los Angeles and drew attention after the activist group StopAntisemitism posted a photo of the plate last week on X.
The organization condemned the plate, which it believed was a reference to October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants carried out a surprise cross-border raid on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. The incursion sparked fierce retaliation from Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and led to an intense military conflict that is still ongoing.
StopAntisemitism stated the plate celebrated what the group described as “terrorism against the Jewish people” and urged the DMV to recall the plate, which represented a “vile mockery of the 1,200 innocent lives lost.”
The DMV issued a statement hours later, pledging to take “swift action to recall these shocking plates” and said it would strengthen its internal review process “to ensure such an egregious oversight never happens again.”
Meanwhile, the car owner’s son told the local ABC-affiliate on Saturday that the plate was misinterpreted and has nothing to do with the deadly attack. His family is Filipino and ‘lolo’ in Tagalog means grandfather, CT stands for Cybertruck, and 7 represents the owner’s seven grandchildren, the man explained.
“We have great empathy for anyone who has experienced any hatred,” the man told the outlet. “And 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.”
He added that the family clearly explained the meaning during the DMV’s application process. The controversial plate has been revoked.
