Article content

Visitors to the Netherlands in winter are often surprised to see the Dutch version of St. Nicholas’s helpers have their faces painted black, wear Afro wigs and have thick red lips — in short, a racist caricature of a black person.

Most Dutch are devoted to the holiday tradition of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) and insist he’s a harmless fictional figure who doesn’t represent any race. But a growing number are questioning whether he should be given a makeover or banished, seeing him as a blight on the country’s image as a bulwark of tolerance.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'Zwarte Piet is Racism': Criticism of Dutch fictional Christmas figure 'Black Pete' grows Back to video

“There is more opposition to Zwarte Piet than you might think,” says Jessica Silversmith, director of the regional Anti-Discrimination Bureau for Amsterdam.

There is more opposition to Zwarte Piet than you might think

She said historically her office received only one or two complaints a year, but the number jumped to more than 100 last year.

“It’s not only Antilleans or Surinamers who are complaining,” she said, referring to people descended from the former Dutch colonies that once traded in slavery. “It’s all kinds of Dutch people.”