Actress Alyssa Milano has accused conservative organizers of the 2021
Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) of intentionally
setting up the stage to reflect Nazi symbolism.
The left-wing activist also targeted hotel chain Hyatt for hosting the
conservative event and called conservatives in attendance "Nazis."
In an Instagram post published Saturday, Milano posted side-by-side
shots of the CPAC stage and Nazi symbolism known as the Odal Rune.
"This is the stage at CPAC. THEY'RE NOT EVEN TRYING TO HIDE IT
ANYMORE," Milano captioned the images. "[Hyatt], this is what's
happening in your building. [Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), you stood on this
stage."
Lead organizer of CPAC Matt Schlapp called the suggestions from Milano
and others "outrageous and slanderous."
"Stage design conspiracies are outrageous and slanderous," Schlapp
posted to Twitter on Saturday. "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," he added.
Following the attacks from the Left against the Hyatt, the hotel chain
underscored their commitment to being "inclusive," while noting that
individuals and organizations have a right "to peacefully express their
views."
"We take pride in operating a highly inclusive environment and we
believe that the facilitation of gatherings is a central element of
what we do as a hospitality company," said a Hyatt spokesperson in a
statement.
"We believe in the right of individuals and organizations to peacefully
express their views, independent of the degree to which the
perspectives of those hosting meetings and events at our hotels align
with ours," they added. "Our own values support a culture that is
characterized by empathy, respect and diversity of opinions and
backgrounds, and we strive to bring this to light through what we do
and how we engage with those in our care."
Milano claimed the hotel allowing conservatives a space to gather was
akin to them being "totally fine hosting Nazis," and called for a
boycott of the Hyatt.
"In other words, [Hyatt] is totally fine hosting Nazis," she wrote.
"#CPAC #boycottHYATT #QPAC2021."
Following Milano's post likening conservatives to Nazis, Ellie Cohanim,
who formerly served as U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat
Anti-Semitism, blasted the actress and others like her for "engaging in
Holocaust denialism."
"All those who use the word `Nazi' to describe their political
opponents are engaging in Holocaust denialism," wrote Cohanim in a
tweet published Sunday. "The Nazis systematically murdered 6 million
Jews. Fools like [Alyssa Milano] are belittling the attempted genocide
of #Jews and the memory of the 6 million."
Earlier this month, actress Gina Carano, an open conservative, was
fired from her standout role on Disney+'s "The Mandalorian" ostensibly
for making a Nazi comparison. The post, notably, did not compare the
current political climate to Nazi Germany but instead cautioned against
political division.
--
Mike Godwin
"By all means cite GL if you think some Nazi comparison is baseless,
needlessly inflammatory or hyperbolic."
4:05 AM - June 24, 2018
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-godwin-godwins-law-20180624-
story.html