[VIDEO] Hundreds of students stand throughout Rand Paul CPAC speech in solidarity for filibuster

Hundreds of CPAC attendees stood throughout Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) address to at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday in a sign of solidarity for the historic 13-hour filibuster he held on the floor of the U.S. Senate last week.

Hundreds of CPAC attendees stood throughout Senator Rand Paul’s CPAC speech.

The 5,500 seat auditorium, at a hotel just outside of Washington D.C., appeared to be at capacity. The large majority of attendees stood throughout the duration of the 12-minute speech.

The action, which was organized by Hillsdale College student Ryan Bolyard, gained momentum throughout the week as conservatives flocked to the Washington area for the annual conference.

“My goal was to show solidarity in the conservative movement with those who are willing to stand up and defend our Constitution and our personal liberties,” said Bolyard. “I was thrilled with the turnout, and the energy in the room.”

Paul created international headlines when he filibustered President Obama’s nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director for 13-hours on the Senate floor last week.

WATCH: Hundreds of students stand for Senator Rand Paul’s CPAC speech

Senate rules prohibited Paul from sitting during the filibuster of a vote on whether or not John Brennan would be confirmed as President Obama’s director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The arcane procedural maneuver drew worldwide attention and at one point the Twitter hashtag “#StandWithRand” trended as number one worldwide.

Prior to his much-anticipated CPAC speech, the libertarian organization Young Americans for Liberty handed out “Stand with Rand” T-shirts and signs.

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