Matt Schlapp Denies Accusations That CPAC Stage Was Designed to Evoke Nazi Symbolism

Zachary PetrizzoFeb 27th, 2021, 8:20 pm
 

The Conservative Political Action Conference chairman Matt Schlapp strongly denied that CPAC’s stage in Orlando, Florida this year was designed to evoke any Nazi symbolism after many viral posts on Twitter accused the organization of modeling their stage after an “Odal rune” Nazi symbol.

2021 CPAC Stage

“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,” Schlapp tweeted on Saturday night.

A fact check conducted by Snopes rated the claim “unproven,” as the outlet was “unable to verify at the time of this writing whether the allusion to the Nazi symbol was made intentionally or consciously by any CPAC organizers.”

As Mediaite’s sister site The Mary Sue reported, the “Odal rune dates back to ancient Germanic languages and symbolizes heritage, inheritance, or inherited estate.”

Less known than the swastika, the Odal rune dates back to ancient Germanic languages and symbolizes heritage, inheritance, or inherited estate. As the emblem of ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche), the Odal rune appeared on the flag of the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen operating during World War II. The Odal rune was also prominently featured as a badge on SS uniforms, and has been co-opted by neo-Nazi groups, including the National Socialist Movement (NSM), across the globe.

A plethora of fiery tweets about the stage design have gone viral, since the start of the conference on Thursday afternoon:

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