Illinois Secretary of State revokes five 'Oct. 7' license plates
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has revoked the personalized license plates of five Illinois drivers who ordered variations of the date “October 7,” drawing complaints against the apparent nod to the Hamas attacks on Israel last year.
State officials say the controversial plates were yanked after being deemed “hate speech or fighting words,” but civil libertarians say the decision raises constitutional questions about suppressing political expression.
A photo of one of the controversial plates — “OCT 7,” with a “FREE PALESTINE” frame — made waves on social media last month when it was flagged by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, prompting Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza that has killed about 42,000 Palestinians in the year since.
After receiving complaints from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and numerous other residents about that plate, Giannoulias’ office reviewed others in the system and identified four more similarly considered “offensive to good taste and decency.”
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