Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- The hosts of CPAC got booed and heckled on Friday after asking the crowd to wear masks.
- “And I know this might sound like a little bit of a downer” one of the hosts said to preface it.
- “I know, it’s not the most fun,” another said before getting shouted at.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
A largely maskless crowd on Friday booed and heckled the hosts of the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida when they were asked to wear masks.
Carly Conley, the conference’s events coordinator, said attendees need to obey local coronavirus-related laws and ordinances during their time in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Orlando.
—The Recount (@therecount) February 26, 2021
“Well, as Dan mentioned, we are in a private facility, and we do want to be respectful of the ordinances that they have as their private property,” Conley said, referring to Dan Schneider, the executive director of the American Conservative Union who was on stage with her. “So please, everyone, when you’re in the ballroom, when you’re seated, you should be wearing a mask.
“So if everybody could go ahead, work on that,” she continued before being met with boos and shouts.
“Freedom!” one attendee yelled before being joined in a quasi-chant.
Neither Conley nor Schneider mentioned COVID-19. Instead, they tried to couch their request in terms of respecting the law.
"And I know this might sound like a little bit of a downer, but we also believe in property rights, and this is a private hotel. And we believe in the rule of law, so we need to comply with the laws of this county we're in," Schneider said before handing off the actual ask to Conley.
"I know, I know," Conley said once the crowd turned on her. "It's not the most fun."