Dutch tradition, ninety arrests

Rishi Iyengar has a Time article about Black Pete

A pre-Christmas children’s gathering in the Netherlands, held to celebrate the arrival of St. Nicholas, was broken up by clashes after demonstrators (photo, top) objected to a blackface character (photo, bottom) named Black Pete.
At least ninety people were arrested in the cheesemaking town of Gouda, The Associated Press reports, after scuffles broke out between traditionalists who claim there is no racist intention behind the Black Pete character, and protesters who say Black Pete has no place in the modern Netherlands.
Part of the Yuletide folklore of the Netherlands and Belgium, Black Pete is a sidekick to St. Nicholas, carrying presents and giving out candy to children. Revelers who dress up as the character are almost always white. As well as blackening their faces, they wear frizzy Afro wigs and give themselves red lips.
The introduction of supposedly more diverse versions of the character this year— a yellow Cheese Pete (representing Gouda’s most famous product), a light brown Stroopwafel Pete (named for a Dutch biscuit), and a white-faced Clown Pete— failed to placate demonstrators.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told local media the clashes made him “deeply, deeply sad”. He said: “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.”
However, like many Dutch and Belgian liberals, Wouter Van Bellingen, a black Flemish politician, believes the character is an anachronism. “As a majority you have to be sensitive and show empathy for things that are hurtful to a minority,” he told The Associated Press.

Rico says someone, somewhere in Holland, is wagging that Dutch finger...