Portrait of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet.Wikicommons/Michel Zappa.November, 2006. Some rights reserved.As protests against Trump’s election rock the US, the Netherlands has been home to its own battle as authorities have detained and tried to silence activists protesting against the depiction of a Christmas figure in blackface. Black Pete, sidekick of Saint Nicholas who inspired Father Christmas, is portrayed by white men and women appearing in blackface with bright red lips and a curly wig. In a debate that has lasted years, critics seeing this as a vestige of slavery have accused the tradition of perpetuating racial stereotypes.
Though an unprecedented number of organizations have banned the portrayal of the figure in blackface following accusations of racism, the polarization that has resulted demonstrates how fraught the battle for Dutch identity has become as the country awaits a populist surge in its elections next year. Tensions flared up on November 12, when activists from the Kick Out Black Pete collective took to demonstrating at the national Saint Nicholas arrival festival near Rotterdam. Upon their arrival, about 200 protesters were detained, some violently, for attempting to defy a ban on demonstrations during the festival. A week later, in the lead-up to another festival in the southern town of Geleen, activists were required to deliver only positive messages during the event and their signs were confiscated.
Participants have deemed their treatment unconstitutional and an abuse of security measures limiting the freedom of assembly of those challenging racism in the Netherlands. A police unit posing in blackface attracted particular criticism.
