California DMV apologizes for releasing offensive Cybertruck

Some people think the LOLOCT7 license plate celebrates the attack on Israel, but the owner’s son says it means something entirely different

The California DMV has publicly apologized for issuing a license plate that some claimed was to celebrate Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel in October 2023. But there’s a new twist in the story, and the family that owns the license plate says it means something entirely different. The question is, is this enough?

A plate in the center of the row reads “LOLOCT7,” which those offended believe it mocks the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by adding “LOL” (short for “laughing out loud”) before the date. Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed in this atrocity and hundreds more were kidnapped.

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After criticism from the StopAntimitism group, which called the plate “disgusting,” the DMV apologized at the X and said the label was “unacceptable and disturbing.”

“The DMV is acting quickly to recall these egregious license plates, and we will immediately strengthen our internal review process to ensure this type of serious oversight never happens again,” the DMV wrote.

“We sincerely apologize that these personalized license plates were not properly rejected during our review process. The use of hateful language is not only a clear violation of our policies, but also a violation of the public we proudly serve and ensure safe and welcoming roads core values.”

But a man who asked not to be named and claimed to be the son of the Cybertruck owner said the whole thing was a huge misunderstanding. The man said the license plate was not meant to celebrate the Hamas attacks, but to celebrate the driver’s truck and family. He told KABC that LOLO is the word for “grandfather” in Tagalog (the language spoken by Filipinos), CT refers to the Cybertruck, and 7 is the number of grandchildren he has.

“We have tremendous compassion for anyone who has experienced hate,” Son told KABC. “In turn, we are extremely grateful for anyone who saw or heard about this incident to show their sympathy to our family as we do not mean anything malicious by anything.”

The family’s story sounds plausible, but we doubt it will be enough to stop the DMV from recalling the plate and issuing a new one to Tesla. What do you think the DMV should do? Is it right to cancel this license just because some people got it wrong? Or was it a mistake to release it because no matter what the original meaning was, it was always going to be seen as offensive by some? Please leave a comment and let us know – but let’s leave that discussion to the DMV.