Hyatt Hotels said it's taking claims the CPAC stage was inspired by a Nazi rune 'very seriously' and called hate symbols 'abhorrent'

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Hyatt Hotels said it's taking claims the CPAC stage was inspired by a Nazi rune 'very seriously' and called hate symbols 'abhorrent'
Technicians work on the stage before the start of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 25, 2021.REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo
  • Social-media users noticed the CPAC stage over the weekend resembled a symbol used on Nazi uniforms.
  • A conference organizer dismissed "conspiracies" about the design as "outrageous and slanderous."
  • Hyatt, the event host, said it took the concerns seriously and called hate symbols "abhorrent."
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Hyatt Hotels Corporation called hate symbols "abhorrent" after the stage at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place at a Hyatt hotel, resembled a Nordic rune that appeared on Nazi uniforms.

CPAC was held Thursday to Sunday at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida.

Some people on social media noted that the event's stage - which hosted speakers including former President Donald Trump - was in the shape of an "Odal rune," with tweets like this one going viral:

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 also been used in nonextremist contexts.

"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," Hyatt Hotels Corporation said in a Sunday statement, according to Reuters.

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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.

Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, tweeted on Saturday in response to the criticism of the stage, describing "conspiracies" about the design as "outrageous and slanderous."

"We have a long standing commitment to the Jewish community," he said. "Cancel culture extremists must address antisemitism within their own ranks. CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage."

The Guardian noted that the symbol was seen 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.

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