[Nicky91]

Rotterdam's mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb

Rotterdam’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was entitled to prevent an anti-Zwarte Piet demonstration going ahead two years ago on safety grounds, a court has decided.

Aboutaleb intervened when protest organisers changed the venue at the last minute after being refused permission to demonstrate in Maassluis, where the official arrival parade for Sinterklaas was held in 2016.

Anti-racism protests at parade in recent years have clashed with counter-demonstrations held by ‘supporters’ of Zwarte Piet or ‘black Pete’, St Nicholas’s assistant, who is traditionally played by white actors in pageboy outfits with blackface make-up.

Members of the protest group Kick Out Zwarte Piet objected to Aboutaleb’s decision on the grounds that it breached their constitutional right to public protest, but the court said the mayor was entitled to weigh that up against other considerations such as public safety.

Aboutaleb banned the demonstration from the city centre because police lacked the manpower to supervise it safely and there was a risk of clashes with far-right hooligans, the court heard.Judges also noted that the mayor had not been informed about the demonstration in advance.

Organisers said this was because the decision to transfer the protest to Rotterdam was only taken at the last minute.

Police arrested around 180 people who demonstrated on the Erasmusbrug in defiance of the ban.

Charges were later dropped against 168 people who were identified as suspects because of a lack of evidence.


https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/1...-rights-court/

[Nicky91]

this whole Zwarte Piet discussion has been going on and on for so long

it is a tradition which has been for many years for the children, Sinterklaas & Zwarte Piet

and now just because some people feel insulted they want to ban this tradition


it isn't meant as something racist anyway, the ''Zwarte Piet'' is more because they have blackened their face, which is more because of chimney soot, when they climb down the chimney to bring the presents into the homes, the story goes

but after so many years of never having had any complaints, now the complaints suddenly start