Alaska ‘3REICH’ and ‘FUHRER’ license plates spotted, state to investigate

After license plates reading ‘3REICH’ and ‘FUHRER’ were seen in Alaska, the state’s government will investigate how and why it approved such vanity plates.

Matt Tunseth, a former journalist, spotted the ‘3REICH’ plate Friday on a Hummer in Anchorage and tweeted a photo, captioned, “I hate Alaska Nazis.”

Alaska’s Department of Administration said Monday it had recalled both Nazi-themed plates and issued their owner standard replacement plates. Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka said law enforcement was informed the plates were unauthorized and therefore illegal.

Both plates were registered to a Hummer H2, according to state records.

“I am ordering a review of DMV guidelines and processes to determine how these plates were issued,” Tshibaka said in a statement posted to Facebook.

Anchorage Assemblywoman Jamie Allard lost her spot on the state’s human rights commission after she defended the plates, writing in since-deleted Facebook posts that “reich” and “fuhrer” were simply normal German words and not clear references to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy removed her Tuesday, Alaska NPR affiliate KAKM reported.

“I don’t think it should be hard to denounce white supremacy,” Assembly chairman Felix Rivera told KAKM. “It should be really easy, actually, to denounce white supremacy and Nazis. So it’s unfortunate that Assembly member Allard couldn’t do the right and, frankly, easy thing.”