The California Department of Motor Vehicles has had to revoke the license plate on a Tesla Cybertruck. It should not have been issued, the authority says.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has had to apologize for allowing a specific license plate for a Tesla Cybertruck, as some citizens find it offensive.
The license plate, with the text "LOLOCT7", is interpreted by some as a mockery of the victims of Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.
The organization StopAntisemitism criticized the license plate, calling it "sick." The criticism prompted the motor office to apologize on X (formerly Twitter) and describe the license plate as "unacceptable and disturbing."
In a statement sent to the press, the Motor Vehicle Office has chosen to elaborate on why the license plate permit is now being withdrawn.
– We will now immediately take the steps that will enable us to recall these license plates. And we will strengthen our internal procedures to ensure that such a mistake never happens again.
"We sincerely regret that these license plates were not rejected during our approval process. The use of hateful language is not only a clear violation of our policy, but also of our core values of serving the public and ensuring safe roads."
The son of the Cybertruck owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that this is a misunderstanding. The family says the license plate should be read in a completely different way.
According to the son, "LOLO" refers to the word for grandfather in Tagalog, a language from the Philippines, "CT" to Cybertruck, and "7" to the number of children born.
"We have great empathy for anyone who has experienced hate," the son told KABC. "And we would really appreciate it if people who see or hear this could have empathy for our family. We never wanted to hurt anyone."
The family has asked for understanding. But it is uncertain whether this will change the motor vehicle office's decision to revoke the license plate.
The case raises the question of whether a license plate should be confiscated if random people in public space deliberately misinterpret or misunderstand it with malicious intent.
