After eagle-eyed political observers noticed that the stage at this year’s CPAC appears to be an exact replica of an othala rune worn by Nazi officers during World War II, Hyatt Hotels eventually issued a statement denouncing the stage design used by the GOP event after initially defending CPAC’s right to “peacefully express their views.” Of course, that decision only happened after an intense social media backlash against Hyatt for not taking a stand against the Nazi imagery. But as Hyatt is now learning, that pendulum swings both ways, and now, the American Conservative Union is blasting the hotel chain for “disparaging” and “defaming” the event. In a letter oddly titled, “We Will Not Be Canceled” — you can’t cancel an event that already happened, guys — the conservative group argues that Hyatt was well aware of the stage design and had no problems until the social media backlash started. Via the ACU:
For months we have collaborated with your team on logistics, including sharing, reviewing, and approving the stage design that was created by one of our subcontractors. The fact that no one on the Hyatt staff ever raised concerns during the process shows the ridiculous nature of your statements. Moreover, your statements falsely conceal your oversight role. In fact, the Hyatt Hotel, with our organization and subcontractors, approved and worked collaboratively to build this stage. Only after a coordinated far-left assault to destroy our conference arose did you succumb to lies and compound them with your own.
The American Conservative Union also goes on to say that its Jewish Board Members are appalled by the implication that CPAC would include a Nazi symbol in its event. While that seems to contradict the ACU’s earlier argument that Hyatt saw the design and approved it, the hotel chain now finds itself square in the middle of a PR nightmare that foreshadows larger problem down the line for other venues if Republicans continue to tinker with including Third Reich-resembling symbols in their political events.