The California DMV Issues an Apology for Misunderstanding the License Plate

On Thursday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued an apology for permitting a customized license plate that appeared to parody the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. But according to the automobile owner's family, this is a miscommunication.

"LOLOCT7," the license plate, was seen on camera on a Tesla Cybertruck at a busy crossroads in Culver City, which is close to Los Angeles. The X account StopAntisemitism posted the image, claiming it was inappropriate and commemorated the terrorist incident on October 7. It referred to the plate as a "vile mockery" and requested that the DMV recall it.

The purpose of the plate was being misinterpreted, the automobile owner's son told ABC's KABC affiliate on Friday. In reality, he stated, it says "LOLO-CT-7." The rest of the plate indicates the automobile type and the number of grandkids the owner has, while "Lolo" in Tagalog signifies grandfather. According to the son, they provided this justification when they filed for the license plate.

Since then, the DMV has declared that the plate is being recalled. The DMV expressed regret for accepting the plate in a statement that was put on X and pledged to examine their procedures for processing applications for customized license plates.

The son told KABC that there was a huge misunderstanding and that his family never meant to insult anyone. According to him, his family hopes that others would sympathize with them because they didn't mean any harm and feels sorry for anyone who has encountered prejudice.