HomeCherished Number PlatesNumber Plates promotes Nazi ethos Jayne Henry September 6, 2010 Cherished Number Plates, Personalised Number Plates, Private Number Plates, Recent Number Plate News, Registration Industry A New Zealand woman is refusing to change her personalised number plates, despite a complaint it promotes white supremacism. Lisa Marie Thompson told a local paper her plate – which reads ‘ARYAN 1’ – is merely the initial and surname of an ex-boyfriend, Andrew Ryan. She says she was not aware of the more common association with the offending word until being told of the complaint. “Aryan” is the word Nazi tyrant Adolf Hitler used to describe his “master race”. The unnamed complainant said they were “baffled” the number plate was allowed. “This is really offensive, for pretty obvious reasons… How can somebody even have a plate like this approved?” The New Zealand Transport Agency however is not going to force Ms Thompson to choose a less conspicuous set of characters, saying “it would require some other words, actions or gestures to be inciting. Ms Thompson paid $700 for the plate. Rejected number plates in the past include TBAGGD, H8ACC and OLDKNT.
