The Illinois secretary of state revoked five residents’ license plates that reference the Oct. 7 attacks.
The office of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat, said the plates were revoked after being deemed “hate speech or fighting words,” as some believe the plates paid homage to Hamas’s attack on Israel last October. Some civil libertarians, however, believe the decision to remove the plates raises constitutional questions about the suppression of political expression.
“As we know, the meaning and impact of words, monikers, acronyms, and calendar dates can change over time. The Secretary of State’s office was notified about a variation of an ‘October 7’ license plate used in such a way that the plate could be considered hate speech or fighting words,” Deputy Secretary of State Scott Burnham said in a statement.
One of the revoked license plates was documented by the organization StopAntisemitism. The license plate has “OCT 7” printed with a “Free Palestine” license plate rim.
Over 1200 people brutally murdered.
Women and children raped and tortured.
200+ kidnapped, including Americans.And this driver decided to honor the day it happened on his license plate. pic.twitter.com/8m264iPFzN
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) September 12, 2024
Owners of the vehicle with the pictured plate, along with four others, will be notified that their license plates are being rescinded and will be issued new ones at no cost.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a Democrat, texted Giannoulias a screenshot of the “OCT 7” plate from the Sept. 12 post on X.
“Not sure if this is real, but if it is, I think you should rescind this plate. Celebrating the terror attacks of Oct. 7 in this way is despicable,” Mendoza texted. “Hoping this is AI, but if not, please do something about it.”
“We are on it,” Giannoulias responded.
The Midwestern chapter of the Anti-Defamation League thanked Giannoulias’s office for “making it clear that celebrating 1,200 innocent Jews — including dozens of Americans — being killed by a terrorist organization will not be tolerated on Illinois roads.”
“People get license plates for lots of different reasons … birthdays or their anniversaries. I’ve never seen a date like that, though, with a frame that clearly celebrates the murder of 1,200 innocent individuals, including Israelis and Americans,” said David Goldenberg, Midwest regional director of the ADL.
“I’ve never seen a frame around a date that memorializes a day when a terrorist organization massacred 1,200 individuals because they assumed they were all Jewish. Full stop. So, the intention of this particular individual appears to be quite clear versus celebrating an anniversary and a birthday,” Goldenberg continued.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed, and more than 250 were taken hostage, in the attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians in the year since.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The decision has raised questions “about the constitutionality of enforcing a vague standard,” according to Ed Yohnka, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
“Certainly, they have authority to deny people license plates on the basis of some standard that it sets, but a vague standard about common decency is one that does not lend itself to neutral enforcement,” Yohnka said.