Members of Australia’s Jewish community are demanding answers after authorities approved an allegedly anti-Semitic personalised number plate, seemingly celebrating terror attacks by Hamas.
An image of the offending New South Wales plate, which reads ‘OCT7TH’ and is attached to a white Ford Ranger, has been shared widely on social media.
More than 1000 Israeli civilians were killed in a series of co-ordinated attacks by Hamas fighters on October 7, and hundreds more were abducted.
Many of the hostages are still being held within Gaza.
Former Liberal Party candidate Freya Leach, a university student who ran for the state seat Balmain in last year’s election, called for the number plate to be cancelled.
“Seen in Western Sydney. How is this allowed?” Ms Leach posted on social media, directing her question at Premier Chris Minns.
That’s a question now being asked by many.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich has called for a guarantee that similar mistakes won’t occur again.
“What is going on in NSW?” Dr Abramovich said.
“There are no words to describe the disgust and revolt I feel right now, and I’m sure that many Jews would feel like they have been kicked in the guts by this stomach-churning incident.”
This morning, appearing on Ben Fordham’s radio show on 2GB, Main Roads Minister John Graham said he’d intervened to take to action.
“As soon as I heard about this, we issued an order for it to be recalled, Mr Graham said.
“That process used to take up to a month before plates could be called back in. Transport has acted immediately.
“Given the tensions around the world I wasn’t happy with that. As roads minister, we’ve shortened that process, and the request is now that these plates are [recalled] in within 48 hours.”
If the owner refuses to hand back to the plates, the car’s registration will be “cancelled altogether”, Mr Graham added.
He indicated the vehicle could even be taken “off the road” entirely.
The Hamas attacks in southern Israel sparked an ongoing counter-attack by Israeli forces. The death toll in Gaza has passed 27,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
Some 85 per cent of Gaza’s civilian population has been displaced as a result of air raids and ground operations.
After the image went viral on social media, Ms Leach said a follower had approached her to claim the number plate was “registered a few years prior” to the Hamas attacks.
But that’s not true.
Transport for NSW told news.com.au today that the plate was actually registered in December – well after the attacks.
“One has to wonder why anyone would want to showcase on their car the date that represents the deadliest massacre in a single day of Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Dr Abramovich said.
Dr Abramovich, whose police officer cousin was murdered in a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv in August, and whose family members in Kibbutz Reim hid in a safe room while Hamas terrorists stalked and killed their neighbours, descried the apparent act of anti-Semitism.
“It’s gratifying that Minister Graham has acknowledged that there was systems failure in registering this number plate and that a review will now take place to ensure such episodes do not recur.”
When assessing the appropriateness of personalised number plate applications, authorities use a combination of automatic and manual processing.
Comment on how this one slipped through the cracks, a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said an investigation was now underway.
“We apologise the date was not flagged as offensive and for any subsequent offence and distress caused,” the spokesperson said.
“Unfortunately, in this instance the filtering process did not identify the combination.”
The department implemented stricter assessment approaches last year after the emergence of a neo-Nazi plate that slipped through the cracks.
A horrified motorist spotted a vehicle carrying a plate that read ‘88-SIEG’. Eighty-eight is coded slang for “Heil Hitler”, while sieg is the German word for “victory”.
“There is no place in NSW for neo-Nazis. We are not going to tolerate hatred and intolerance being spread in the community,” Mr Graham said at the time.
“These number plates should not have been issued. I have asked Transport for NSW to urgently tighten the system to prevent any repeat.
“I have also asked Transport for NSW to report back to me with options to change the regulations so that we can get plates back faster than is currently possible once a motorist has been served notice in cases that involve anti-Semitism or that incite hatred.
“I don’t want plates such as these on the road a single day longer than they need to be.”
The Daily Telegraph reports that myPlates, which provides all customised plates in New South Wales, received a complaint about the OCT7TH plate on January 23.
Complaints from the public about potentially offensive plates are assessed by a panel on a monthly basis. The next is scheduled for February 20.
Urgent recalls take five business days to be processed.
Transport for NSW yesterday told The Daily Telegraph it wasn’t previously aware of the OCT7TH plate prior to being contacted by the media.
“We are going to look at better ways to deal with complaints more rapidly and earlier,” myPlates chief executive David McGrath told the newspaper.
Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, reacted to the latest offensive plate by saying Australians were “fed up”.
“Australians are fed up to the back teeth with having hateful and violent messages thrust into their faces by extremist groups and individuals who take any opportunity to promote their repugnant views,” Mr Wertheim told The Daily Telegraph.
“We have warned about this sort of misuse of licence plates previously – the measures taken by state and territory transport authorities have clearly been inadequate.
“It is time for these bodies to work together to put into effect a nationwide crackdown to stop this appalling practice once and for all.”
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2024-02-08 02:26:15Z
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