REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
- CPAC 2021 took place in the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida, this past week.
- Critics said the stage of the event resembled a symbol on Nazi uniforms, a claim the organizer denied.
- Hyatt Hotels said it's taking those claims seriously and called hate symbols "abhorrent."
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
The Hyatt Hotels Corporation called hate symbols "abhorrent" after the stage at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which took place at a Hyatt hotel, resembled a Nordic rune that appeared on Nazi uniforms.
CPAC was held this year at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida, and ran Thursday to Sunday last week.
Some people noted on social media that the event's stage - which hosted speakers like former President Donald Trump - was in the shape of an "Odal rune," with tweets like this one going viral:
—The Daily Beans Podcast (@dailybeanspod) February 26, 2021
As Insider's Kelsey Vlamis reported, the symbol was used on some Nazi uniforms and has since been used by some white supremacists, but it is a centuries-old symbol that has been used in non-extremist contexts.
The Hyatt Hotels Corporation said in a Sunday statement: "We take the concern raised about the prospect of symbols of hate being included in the stage design at CPAC 2021 very seriously as all such symbols are abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company," Reuters reported.
Hyatt added that the stage design and all other logistics were managed by the American Conservative Union - the group that organizes the conference - and not the hotel group, Reuters reported.
Hyatt said all aspects of conference logistics, including the stage design, were managed by the American Conservative Union, which organized the conference.
Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, tweeted on Saturday in response to the criticism of the stage: "Stage design comparisons were outrageous and slanderous."
"We have a long standing commitment to the Jewish community. Cancel culture extremists must address antisemitism within their own ranks," he said. "CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage."
—Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 27, 2021
The Guardian noted that the symbol was at the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Insider has also identified a version of the symbol in a photo taken in Germany in 2008 at a neo-Nazi summer camp that was broken up by the police.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3005ZdF
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