Police arrest 60 at Dutch 'Black Pete' festival

spaminator

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Police arrest 60 at Dutch 'Black Pete' festival
REUTERS
First posted: Saturday, November 15, 2014 11:24 AM EST | Updated: Saturday, November 15, 2014 11:41 AM EST
AMSTERDAM - Police arrested 60 people on Saturday as protesters clashed at a traditional Dutch festival for children which critics say is racist, but that many locals defend as harmless fun in the run up to Christmas.
The event re-enacts the arrival of Saint Nicholas, bringing presents for children and helped by his sidekick Black Pete, who is invariably played by a white person with a blackened face.
The celebration is increasingly seen as racist in a country that has become more diverse and multi ethnic since the Second World War. But supporters of Black Pete say he is an integral part of Dutch culture that is now underfire from outsiders.
Dutch cities take it in turn to host the start of the annual festival, with Gouda kicking off this year's carnival. Scuffles soon broke out between protesters demonstrating both for and against the occasion, and police made dozens of arrests.
Some children got mixed up in the trouble, Gouda mayor Milo Schoenmaker was quoted as saying by news website nu.nl, adding that he was "disappointed" by the confrontations.
Most of those detained were arrested for staging their protest in the centre of the medieval city, where the festival was taking place, rather than taking part in authorized protests in designated zones that were well away from the party.
In recent years, city authorities have come under pressure to ban or modify the event. This year there was talk of experimenting with orange, yellow or even rainbow Petes.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was drawn into the row this week, telling reporters that the future of Black Pete was not something that politics could resolve.
"Personally, I think he can stay black. But this is a matter for the community. It is not a task for politics," Rutte said in his weekly press conference. "As you know, I'm in favour of small government," he added.
Demonstrators hold signs reading "Black Pete is Rascism" and "Free Black Pete" during a demonstration against Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) in Amsterdam in this Nov. 16, 2013 file photo. (AFP PHOTO/ANP BAS CZERWINSKI)

Police arrest 60 at Dutch 'Black Pete' festival | World | News | Toronto Sun
 
Blackleaf

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The whingeing Lefties attacking and upsetting innocent people again for no good reason. They've been out in force a lot lately, what with calling a pop singer "racist" and an Esa scientist "sexist."

As for Black Pete ("Zwarte Piet") he is the companion of Santa Claus ("Sinterclaas") in the folklore of the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg). Traditionally Zwarte Piet is said to be black because he is a Moor from Spain. Actors portraying Zwarte Piet typically put on blackface make-up and colourful Renaissance attire, in addition to curly wigs, red lipstick and earrings.




Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the arrests “deeply, deeply sad”

The Zwarte Piet character is part of the annual feast of St. Nicholas, celebrated on the evening of 5 December (Sinterklaasavond, that is, St. Nicholas' Eve) in the Netherlands, Curaçao and Aruba and on 6 December in Belgium and Luxembourg, when sweets and presents are distributed to children. The characters of Zwarte Pieten appear only in the weeks before Saint Nicholas's feast, first when the saint is welcomed with a parade as he arrives in the country (generally by boat, having travelled from Madrid, Spain). The tasks of the Zwarte Pieten are mostly to amuse children, and to scatter pepernoten, kruidnoten and strooigoed (special sinterklaas sweets) for those who come to meet the saint as he visits shops, schools, and other places.


Strooigoed and kruidnoten mix for scattering


It's a lovely tradition which kids obviously enjoy but, if the Dutch don't fight back and protect it, it'll be yet another of our lovely little traditions which the Left will make extinct, and that'll be a shame.


 
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Tecumsehsbones

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It's amazing how the lefties just never give up. We have conclusively established here that there is not, nor has ever been, any feelings of racism or acts of discrimination in countries run by Europeans or their descendants. Except, of course, the horrible suffering of white Christian heterosexual men, which makes Jesus cry.
 
Blackleaf

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Tecumsehsbones said:
It's amazing how the lefties just never give up. We have conclusively established here that there is not, nor has ever been, any feelings of racism or acts of discrimination in countries run by Europeans or their descendants. Except, of course, the horrible suffering of white Christian heterosexual men, which makes Jesus cry.
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What's racist about Black Pete?

As for racism, every country, whether that country is mostly white, black, brown or yellow, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu etc has been guilty of crimes which we now consider, but didn't at the time, to be racist.

The people of Britain, Ireland, the Low Countries, France, Spain and Portugal can tell you all about the Barbary pirates of North Africa who snatched away their ancestors from coastal communities in those countries back in the 16th and 17th centuries to sell them to the Muzzie Ottomans, who liked using Christians as slaves.

How very Lefty of you, however, to single out white countries with your, rather ironically, racist abuse.
 
Tecumsehsbones

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Blackleaf said:
What's racist about Black Pete?

As for racism, every country, whether that country is mostly white, black, brown or yellow, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu etc has been guilty of crimes which we now consider, but didn't at the time, to be racist.

The people of Britain, Ireland, the Low Countries, France, Spain and Portugal can tell you all about the Barbary pirates of North Africa who snatched away their ancestors from coatal communities in those countries back in the 16th and 17th centuries to sell them to the Ottomans, who liked using Christians as slaves.

How very Lefty of you, however, to single out white countries with your, rather ironically, racist abuse.
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Didn't say "white," said European. Some of you are rather nicely brown.

Funny how you read what you want to read, even if it ain't there. The word "white" does not occur in my post, except for the lament at the end, which is quoting you.

So who's the racist?
 
Tecumsehsbones

Tecumsehsbones

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Blackleaf said:
This is what you said:

white Christian heterosexual men.

You were referring to a group of people who, as we all know, you hold with some disdain.
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You can't really blame me for that. I mean, after all, you're one of them. As are your BNP-Lite cohort.

No, wait, I take that back. Delete "heterosexual" and it's a perfect fit for BNP-Lite.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
 
Blackleaf

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Tecumsehsbones said:
You can't really blame me for that. I mean, after all, you're one of them. As are your BNP-Lite cohort.

No, wait, I take that back. Delete "heterosexual" and it's a perfect fit for BNP-Lite.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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You're an anti-white racist, Christianophobic racist with particular disdain for the 97% or so of (white) men who happen to be heterosexual.
 
Blackleaf

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Tecumsehsbones said:
Yes, you said that. Got anything else? No? K, have a British day, and God Shave the Queen!
Click to expand...


You hate whites, men, Christians and heterosexuals, and you especially hate those who are all four of them. That's very bigoted.
 
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