‘Heinous’: Melbourne car’s personalised number plate sparks outrage

Anger has erupted over yet another personalised number plate deemed offensive, spotted on the road in Melbourne.

Anger has erupted in Australia’s Jewish community over a personalised number plate deemed offensive, with calls for an investigation into how it was approved.

A shocked bystander snapped a photograph of the Victorian plate, attached to a luxury Lexus sports car parked at Westfield in Doncaster in Melbourne’s northeast.

It reads ’88-SS’ – 88 being a code among neo-Nazis for “Heil Hitler” and SS referring to the notorious paramilitary unit that terrorised Jews during World War II.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich described the sight of the number plate as “confronting” and condemned the individual for glorifying “Hitler’s cruel and sadistic killing unit, whose members included guards at death camps like Auschwitz where millions were gassed”.

Dr Abramovich called for VicRoads to investigate how the plate was approved and take steps to ensure personalised plates containing anti-Semitic or racist acronyms and turns are removed.

“Or not approved in the first place,” he said. “People should not have the right to put anything they want on their car.

“At a time when anti-Jewish hatred is skyrocketing across the country, and we are seeing a dangerous surge of unabashed white supremacists who are determined to push their vile and dark agenda into the real world, this type of is the last thing we need.

“We can’t afford to be asleep at the wheel and permit heinous references that incite violence and glorify bigotry to appear on our cars.”

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A shocked onlooker spotted this seemingly anti-Semitic personalised number plate on a luxury car in Melbourne.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin described the image as “deeply troubling” and said it’s the latest example of someone feeling “sufficiently emboldened” to display their Nazism.

“The clear intent behind these plates is to glorify Nazism, to signal to other supporters of white supremacy and to intimidate the public,” Mr Ryvchin said.

“Authorities need to be awake to this issue.

“They must stay a step ahead of the perpetrators by working with communities to understand slogans and terms used by violent extremists. This will allow authorities to identify individuals seeking to register such plates and to act decisively against these hateful people.”

Alex Ryvchin is concerned about public displays of support for Nazism.

Last week, the New South Wales Government was forced to intervene after it emerged that complaints about a similarly offensive plate had gone unanswered.

An image of the offending New South Wales plate, which reads ‘OCT7TH’ and was attached to a white Ford Ranger, was shared widely on social media.

They seemed to be celebrating the co-ordinated terrorist attacks orchestrated by Hamas, killing more than 1000 Israeli civilians and seeing hundreds more abducted.

After media reports, Main Roads Minister John Graham took swift action.

“As soon as I heard about this, we issued an order for it to be recalled,” Mr Graham told 2GB. “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.”

Authorities ordered the removal of this number plate in NSW last week.

Dr Abramovich said that response had “set the back” for dealing with offensive and anti-Semitic number plates.

“To allow such stomach-churning combinations to be registered violates the core values of a respectful and inclusive state.

“VicRoads must show zero tolerance for hate speech, and this issue must be addressed whenever and whatever it arises, especially when it concerns a government agency.”

From late December, intentionally displaying Nazi symbols in public became a criminal offence in Victoria. It followed a ban on performing Nazi salutes, instituted a few months earlier.

“Other symbols used by the Nazi party and its associated paramilitary arms are also banned,” Legal Aid Victoria advises on its website.

Dvir Abramovich wants more done to ensure offensive plates aren’t issued in the first place. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Michael Hooper, chief operations officer at VicRoads Registration and Licensing Services, said the plate was likely not intentionally offensive.

“We have reviewed the application and are satisfied the intent behind the combination is not intended to cause offence - lucky numbers, birth years and personal initials are often used in custom number plates.”

Victoria Police declined to comment on the personalised number plate and referred queries back to VicRoads.

Roads Minister Melissa Horne was also approached for comment.

Originally published as ‘Heinous’: Melbourne car’s personalised number plate sparks outrage