Racism and Santa's Dutch black-faced helpers

A Christmas tradition in the Netherlands is evidence, some say, of racism in a country seen as a bastion of tolerance.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - For 50 years, the "Sinterklaas Centrale" - Santa's Headquarters in Dutch - has sent out dozens of gloved, white-bearded men wearing cloaks and miters to bring Christmas cheer.

But this winter, there are fewer Santas who will be visiting families in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam.
"Our staff is scared to act as Santa Claus," Henk van der Kroon of the Sinterklaas Centrale organisation told Dutch radio station BNR, adding some were afraid of assaults and quit.
Fearing clashes, Santa's teams are no longer going to Amsterdam South East this year, an area that is home to a large community of migrants.
It's not Saint Nicholas himself that's causing the problem - it's his helpers. In the Netherlands, Santa Claus is traditionally accompanied by black-faced helpers called "Black Petes", or "Zwarte Pieten" in Dutch. Families celebrate "Sinterklaas" on the eve of December 5, and children often blacken their faces. However, the Christmas tradition has sparked an emotional debate in the Netherlands about whether it is racist.

[The tradition] won't go away if Black Pete is not black any more - because it's about something deeper rooted.

- Marc Gilling, guild of Black Petes

Critics argue the portrayal of Black Pete refers to the age of colonialism and depicts a slave, and is reminiscent of the racist 19th century blackface tradition. Others retort that Black Pete is an innocuous festival for children.
Misunderstood?
Critics refer to a wrong reading of history, says Marc Gilling, chairperson of the "Pietengilde" - the guild of Black Petes. He points out the depiction has existed for hundreds of years, long before the age of slavery.
"It's a mask that has nothing to do with skin colour," Gilling told Al Jazeera. Instead, the tradition points to the contrasts of summer and winter, day and night. "That's why the bishop is dressed brightly and has dark helpers."

Gilling said he understands the pain some people feel. "Most likely, however, it won't go away if Black Pete is not black any more - because it's about night. "That's why the bishop is dressed brightly and has dark helpers."
Gilling said he understands the pain some people feel. "Most likely, however, it won't go away if Black Pete is not black any more - because it's about something deeper rooted."
Although the Black Pete controversy has existed for years, the debate escalated recently, with both critics and supporters of the tradition receiving death threats.
A court in Amsterdam ruled that Black Pete is offensive because of its role in continuing stereotypes of black people. During a parade in November, a man assaulted a 15-year-old girl who had her face blackened as Black Pete. At the re-enactment of Santa Claus' arrival in November, 90 protesters from opposing camps were arrested for demonstrating in unauthorised areas and disturbing the peace.
Supermarkets have removed products and figures that refer to Black Pete from their shelves. On Monday, a man pressed charges against a hospital where nurses had put up a nameplate that said "Black Pete" on the bed of a black baby whose life had just been saved. The hospital said it was a mistake, but some say it was an incident of racism.
The Netherlands is seen as one of the most tolerant, multicultural and liberal countries in the world. It was the first nation to allow same-sex marriage in 2000, and ranks among the four states with the highest gender equality, according to the United Nations Development Programme's Gender Equality Index.
Structural racism
But some in the Netherlands dispute the view of their country as a haven of tolerance. "Recent developments manifest the image and our self-perception is no longer tenable," said Gregor Walz, research team leader at the anti-discrimination office Radar in Rotterdam.
The debate about Black Pete reveals a broader trend, Walz said. Although racist acts against certain individuals may be uncommon, Walz told Al Jazeera that structural racism against entire ethnic groups remains widespread, and the Black Pete tradition is just one example.