Since post-WWII European decolonization when the Netherlands became a multicultural society, there has always been a voice of opposition against the racist aspects of the Sinterklaas holiday, but that voice hasn’t been given much of an outlet to be heard-until this year. For whatever reason, in 2011, a small percentage of the Netherlands populace began to organize, galvanize and make the general populace aware of their issues with the tradition. I have lived here since 2009 and every year I have witnessed the anti-Zwarte Piet voice grow steadily. The first polished opine I read that viewed Sinterklaas from a historic vantage point was written by the good people behind the StereoPiet website. I truly feel that reading the thesis included on that site should be the starting point for anyone wishing to know the accurate history behind this holiday. This anti-Zwarte Piet stance was given a face and a logo thanks to the good people behind the Zwarte Piet is Rascime campaign. In the form of stencilled, spray-painted t-shirts, the Zwarte Piet is Rascime campaign slowly gained supporters and notoriety, but it was the spectacle that occurred in Dordrecht at Sinterklaas’ arrival that made this into a national issue that could no longer be ignored. Evidently, Black people wearing the Zwarte Piet is Rascime t-shirts were arrested by police for nothing more than congregating and wearing said t-shirts. This comes across as extremely hypocritical in a country that allows the bleached-blond poster boy of the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, to run rampant with what some describe as “hate speech.” As was proven in the 1960s in my country, all a revolution needs is a bit of televised publicity to become a national issue. So even though these gentlemen were victims of police discrimination, they did give their movement the necessary media coverage to make the innately racist aspects of Sinterklaas an issue that can no longer be camouflaged with a chimney soot tale of propaganda…
