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The Hyatt Hotels Corporation called the symbols of hatred “heinous” on Sunday after the design of a scene at the Right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at one of its hotels drew comparisons with a rune Nordic used by the Nazis during WWII
Senior Republicans including former President Donald Trump attended the four-day event in Orlando, Florida, as conflict raged between Trump’s allies and establishment politicians trying to outrun the gone from him.
A photo of the CPAC scene went viral on social media on Saturday, with thousands of Twitter users sharing posts comparing its distinctive design to an othala rune, also known as the odale rune, one of many symbols ancient Europeans adopted by the Nazis to “reconstruct a mythical ‘Aryan’ past,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The ceiling of the conference hall featured lighting in the same shape as the stage, according to Reuters photographs.
Hyatt said all aspects of conference logistics, including stage design, were handled by the Conservative Union of America, which hosted the conference.
The comparisons were “scandalous and slanderous,” Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union, mentionned the Saturday. He added that the organization had a “long-standing commitment to the Jewish community” and that the conference brought together several Jewish speakers.
In its Sunday statement, Hyatt said: “We take the concern raised about the prospect of including symbols of hate in the set design of CPAC 2021 very seriously, as all of these symbols are heinous and unequivocally against of our values as a company.
Some Trump supporters who launched a deadly insurgency on 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.
The rune was seen at the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., In 2017, which saw heavy fighting with counter-protesters and a civil rights activist killed when a neo-fascist drove his car into the crowd.
Neo-Nazis have used the Odal Rune sign in place of the swastika for several years.
The CPAC scene has the same shape.
The photo on the left is from Charlotteville in 2017. pic.twitter.com/6Ylt2U4U3C
– Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) February 27, 2021
Joe Biden cited this event and Trump’s assessment at the time that there were “very good people on both sides” as a factor in his motivation to run for the Democratic nomination, winning the presidency in November 2020 .
Trump’s presence dominated this year’s CPAC, with supporters parading a larger-than-life golden statue of him through the hotel lobby.
With Reuters
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