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.
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
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 other plates in the system and identified four others similarly considered “offensive to good taste and decency.”
That’s one criteria under state law for having plates rejected or revoked. The secretary of state can also pull plates for being “misleading,” or if they “would substantially interfere with plate identification for law enforcement purposes.”
“As we know, the meaning and impact of words, monikers, acronyms and calendar dates can change over time,” agency spokesman Scott Burnham said in an email. “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.”
The decision, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, raises concerns “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.
“Some people seem to find this troubling and offensive. They then make a complaint to the secretary of state’s office, and a public official makes the decision. Revocation because someone else complains feels as though it’s sort of an overreaction and doesn’t respect the fundamental nature of political speech.”
In a social media post, the Midwest chapter of the Anti-Defamation League thanked Giannoulias’ 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.”
Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network, called Giannoulias’ decision an “overreaction” and said the First Amendment rights of the Palestinian community “are not protected when it goes against something the U.S. government wants.”
“Would Mendoza or Giannoulias say the same about someone out there, on a license plate or not, glorifying the state of Israel, which is harmful to me and my entire community?” Abudayyeh said.
The five drivers with “Oct. 7” plates have been notified their plates are being removed from circulation. They’ll get new ones at no cost, Burnham said.