THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Police arrested 90 protesters Saturday as a traditional Dutch celebration of the arrival of Saint Nicholas was disturbed by demonstrators who say his sidekick, “Black Pete,” is a racist caricature and by supporters of the popular children’s figure.
In some of the worst scenes of unrest in the acrimonious debate about Black Pete, opponents scuffled with police on the historic market place of the central city of Gouda as thousands of children welcomed Saint Nicholas nearby.
Prosecution office spokesman Wouter Bos said 60 anti-Black Pete activists were arrested for demonstrating away from a location set aside for protesters and were each fined 220 euro, or $275. Another 30, both supporters and opponents of Black Pete, were arrested for disturbing public order, Bos said.
Video from Gouda showed scuffles breaking out in its historic downtown while children’s songs played in the background. Protesters were detained by police as children watched.
“Deeply, deeply sad,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told broadcaster NOS. “Everybody can debate one another, we can endlessly discuss the color of Black Pete, but we should not disturb a children’s party in this way.”
The Dutch cheese capital of Gouda came up with a strategy for reconciliation as Saint Nicholas arrived Saturday. Black Petes walked side-by-side with yellow-colored “Cheese Petes,” a nod to the city’s most famous products but also a concession to critics of Black Pete.
In another sign of changing times, the daily Dutch children’s television report on Saint Nicholas’ travels also featured White Petes on Thursday night.
The vast majority of people in Gouda were parents and their young children — many dressed as Black Pete — who braved cold and wet conditions to watch as Saint Nicholas arrived and rode through the town on a white horse to the market square.
Wouter Van Bellingen remembers how, as a black child growing up in the mostly white town of Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, he used to be taunted with chants of “Look, there goes Black Pete.”
“Kids can be hard when it comes to that,” said the former Sint-Niklaas alderman and current director of the region’s Minorities Forum. “I retorted with, ‘There goes White Pete.’ I always had my answer.”
About “black pete”
Across Belgium and the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas rolls into towns surrounded by a host of “Black Petes,” who do everything from carrying presents to throwing sweets at the children. Pete is usually played by a white person who paints his face black, dons a frizzy wig and gives himself bright red lips — stereotypes that disappeared from most countries decades ago.
