California DMV Apologizes For Approving Potentially Offensive License Plate

By Eleonore Christiansen on December 18, 2024

The California Department of Motor Vehicles apologized for issuing a license plate that some interpreted as mocking Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — though the family of the car’s owner says it was misinterpreted.

The plate, which reads “LOLOCT7,” went viral last week after watchdog organization StopAntisemitism posted a photo of the plate on social media.

pic.twitter.com/n6e0d07sWY

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 12, 2024

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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 organization, founded in 2018, says its aim is to expose incidents of anger and hatred directed at Jewish people. It has also played a prominent role in publicizing individuals who have supported Palestinians or critiqued Israel’s actions during the ongoing war in Gaza.

The license plate was found on a Tesla Cybertruck at the intersection of Jefferson and Sepulveda Boulevards in Culver City, the group said. “LOL” is a common acronym for “laugh out loud.”

“How did this get processed?” a follow-up post read. The group called on the DMV to recall the plates.

The agency apologized on Thursday and called the situation “unacceptable and disturbing” in a statement on X. It also vowed to immediately strengthen the internal review process to ensure “such an egregious oversight never happens again.”

pic.twitter.com/JWD0ooZZyg

— CA DMV (@CA_DMV) December 13, 2024

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DMV responds to hateful language on personalized license plates. pic.twitter.com/JWD0ooZZyg

— CA DMV (@CA_DMV) December 13, 2024

The son of the Cybertruck’s owner told Los Angeles TV station KTLA that the plate was being misinterpreted, and said that “Lolo” means “grandfather” in Tagalog, while “CT” is short for Cybertruck.

As for the 7? The son said the owner has seven children.

“Regardless of the owner’s intended meaning, the fact remains that this plate evokes antisemitic associations,” StopAntisemitism executive director Liora Rez said in a statement.

The son of the owner told KTLA that the family would change the plates since they didn’t mean to offend anyone.

The DMV has acknowledged the misinterpretation of the plates, but said they will still be recalled.

“While the plate’s owner has shared that … the configuration was intended to honor their Filipino heritage, we recognize that the same combination of letters and numbers has been interpreted by others as offensive, particularly within the Jewish community,” the department said in a statement.

The DMV added that it understands that “language and symbols can hold different meanings across cultures and communities and “what may be a term of endearment in one context can be perceived differently in another.”

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