CPAC stage is shaped like a Nordic rune used on some Nazi uniforms

Kelsey Vlamis
Sun., February 28, 2021, 

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images


Twitter users noted the design of a stage at CPAC closely resembles a symbol used on Nazi uniforms.

CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp denied the resemblance was intentional, calling the idea "outrageous and slanderous."

The "Odal rune" has also been used by white supremacists in Europe and North America.

A stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference drew attention over the weekend for its resemblance to a Nordic rune that appeared on Nazi uniforms.

After people on Twitter noticed the similarity, the organizer of the conservative conference strongly denied it was intentional, saying the "stage design conspiracies are outrageous and slanderous."

"We have a long-standing commitment to the Jewish community," Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, said in a tweet. "CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage."

The design of the stage is in the shape of an "Odal rune," which was used on Nazi uniforms in some divisions of the SS and has also been used by white supremacists in Europe and North America in the years following World War II.

However, because the symbol is part of the runic alphabet, it's used in non-extremist contexts as well, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Insider 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 police.

A police handout photo shows towels covered with a swastika and a Runic letter at a neo-Nazi children's summer camp in Germany. Police raided the camp on August 7, 2008, where they confiscated neo-Nazi literature and promotional materials. Photo by German Police via Getty ImagesMore

Runic alphabets predate the modern Roman alphabet and were used widely across Europe. They were appropriated by white supremacists due to the use of runes by Nazi Germany.

Nazis have coopted numerous symbols from other cultures. The swastika was used for millennia as a symbol of good fortune by Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains before being appropriated by Nazis.



Hyatt calls hate symbols 'abhorrent' after CPAC stage compared to sign used by Nazis

By Reuters Staff
FEBRUARY 28, 2021

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hyatt Hotels Corp called symbols of hate “abhorrent” on Sunday after the design of a stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference at one of its hotels drew comparisons to a Norse rune used by Nazis during World War Two.

High-profile Republicans including former President Donald Trump were attending the four-day event in Orlando, Florida, as conflict rages between Trump allies and establishment politicians trying to distance the party from him.

A photo of the CPAC stage went viral on social media on Saturday, with thousands of Twitter users sharing posts comparing its distinctive design to an othala rune, one of many ancient European symbols that Nazis adopted to “reconstruct a mythic ‘Aryan’ past,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The ceiling of the conference room featured a lighting display in the same shape as the stage, according to Reuters photographs.

Hyatt said all aspects of conference logistics, including the stage design, were managed by the American Conservative Union, which organized the conference.

The comparisons were “outrageous and slanderous,” Matt Schlapp, American Conservative Union chair, said in a Twitter post on Saturday. He added the organization had a “long standing commitment to the Jewish community” and that the conference featured several Jewish speakers.

“With CPAC’s denial of any intentional connection to hate symbols and our concerns over the safety of guests and colleagues in what could have been a disruptive situation, we allowed the event to continue”, Hyatt said late on Sunday.

Hyatt added that “colleagues occasionally faced hostility from attendees” at the conference when attendees were reminded to wear masks and socially distance. Hyatt also said it was “extremely disappointed by the disrespect many individuals involved in the event showed to our colleagues”.

In its statement on Sunday, Hyatt said: “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.”

Some Trump supporters who launched a deadly attack against the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 carried Confederate flags, which many Americans see as a symbol of oppression and slavery. Extremism experts said some of the rioters were members of white nationalist groups.

Trump’s presence has dominated this year’s CPAC, with his supporters parading a larger-than-life golden statue of the former president through the lobby of the hotel, according to a video posted on social media.

Trump hinted on Sunday at a possible presidential run in 2024, attacked President Joe Biden and repeated his fraudulent claims he won the 2020 election in his first major appearance since leaving the White House nearly six weeks ago.

Matt Schlapp lashes out at critics of CPAC's Nazi symbol stage design

Bob Brigham  February 27, 2021  RAW STORY

Screengrab.

The head of the Conservative Political Action Committee on Saturday attacked critics noting CPAC's stage looks like a Nazi symbol.

Matt Schlapp made his denial after "Nazi" trended nationwide on Twitter as users discussed the stage looking like an Odal rune symbol.

Schlapp, however, did not apologize. Instead he said, "stage design conspiracies are outrageous and slanderous."

Matt Schlapp

@mschlapp

Stage design conspiracies are outrageous and slanderous. We have a long standing commitment to the Jewish community. Cancel culture extremists must address antisemitism within their own ranks. CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage.

1:47 PM · Feb 27, 2021

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