The California Department of Motor Vehicles said on Dec. 12 that it “sincerely” apologizes after “unacceptable and disturbing” and “hateful language” appeared on personalized license plates in the state.
“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,” it stated.
Hours earlier, StopAntisemitism stated that it “is appalled by the sickening display on a Cybertruck plate in California, celebrating terrorism against the Jewish people.” The watchdog posted a photo of a plate that contained the initialism “laugh out loud” followed by Oct. 7. (JNS sought comment from the California DMV.)
The watchdog’s post, in which it tagged the DMV, drew about 200,000 views. StopAntisemitism later said it was grateful for the department’s “swift action.”
“It is both alarming and unacceptable that a license plate mocking the horrific Oct. 7 terror attack against innocent Israelis was approved,” Liora Rez, founder and executive director of StopAntisemitism, told JNS. “StopAntisemitism commends the thousands of supporters who took immediate action, forcing the California DMV to issue an apology and revoke the plate.”
Rez told JNS that she is also aware of an Illinois vanity plate that stated “Oct. 7,” framed by a plate cover stating “free Palestine.”
“These failures highlight a troubling pattern of institutional negligence in addressing blatant antisemitism,” Rez told JNS. “With Jew-hatred on the rise, there is no room for complacency. Authorities must enforce zero tolerance for antisemitism with swift and decisive action.”
“Standing with Israel means confronting and eliminating hate in all its forms,” she added, “without exception.”
