By Victor Omondi
Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, said his view towards “Black Pete” has changed. The tradition from pre-Christmas celebrations has been an object of criticism; most people see it as a racist figure. Rutte also said that the custom had undergone significant changes in recent years.
According to Rutte, he had changed his attitude in 2013 when he said, “Black Pete is just black, and I can’t do much about that”. And now he hopes that the tradition will die.
The discussion came up on Thursday when Rutte was contributing towards a parliamentary debate about anti-racism protests in the Netherlands. The protesters joined hands with U.S. demonstrators, following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. Floyd is one of the many blacks who have died as a result of police violence.
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Based on the Dutch tradition, St. Nicholas brings gifts to kids alongside numerous “Petes”, clownish servants represented as white people in blackface paint wearing frizzy wigs and red lipstick.
The Dutch Prime Minister said that since 2013, he had met several people, including little children, who said they feel discriminated against because Pete is black. Given that Pete is a holiday for children, it shouldn’t bring such kind of thoughts to the little ones.
“I met small children, who said ‘I feel discriminated (against) because Pete is black’,” Rutte said. “And I thought, that’s the last thing that we want in a holiday intended for children.”
He expects the tradition to change soon.
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