AMSTERDAM — An Amsterdam court ruled Thursday that the traditional figure known as Black Pete — the sidekick to the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus — is a negative stereotype of black people and the city must rethink its involvement in holiday celebrations involving him.
Debate over Zwarte Piet has raged in the Netherlands in recent years.
Black Pete is usually portrayed by white people in blackface makeup, with thick red lips and a frizzy Afro hairstyle. Opponents call that a racist caricature. Most Dutch people, about 80 percent of whom are white, are fiercely loyal to their holiday tradition, saying he is a harmless fantasy figure and no insult is intended.
The court said Thursday that Black Pete’s appearance, in combination with the fact that he is often portrayed as dumb and servile, makes it “a negative stereotype of black people.”
It also cited a publication by the country’s national human rights commission this week that found that white Dutch leaders frequently react with “irritation and dismissal” when questions of racism are raised, even though workplace discrimination is well documented in the Netherlands.
