AMSTERDAM — The Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday to the delight of thousands of children. But some adults protested against one element of the tradition they find racist: his servant in blackface makeup, Black Pete.
In the Dutch Sinterklaas festival, St. Nicholas arrives by steamboat in mid-November and spends a month in the country with dozens of the Petes, clown-like figures who leave cookies, chocolate and other treats for children. The affair ends in a night of gift-giving Dec. 5.
Protesters say the Petes — servants who wear blackface makeup, red lipstick and frizzy “Afro” wigs — are blatant racist caricatures and should be banned. But in a country where 90 percent of the people have European ancestry, a large majority feels there is no racial insult intended by Black Pete.
The debate has gone on for years but it is now polarizing the Netherlands as never before.
“The world is watching, and the Netherlands has been found wanting,” protester Quinsy Gario told a group of about 300 supporters in Amsterdam.
