Swarte-piet: Is it the end for the jovial Saint-Nicolas?

90 arrestations pendant le défilé de Saint-Nicolas aux Pays-Bas. 90 arrests during a Saint-Nicolas parade in Holland.

par Cécile Mimaut samedi 15 novembre 2014 21:58

Des opposants de Pierre le Noir, compagnon jovial de Saint-Nicolas qu’ils considèrent comme un stéréotype raciste né du passé colonial néerlandais © Maxppp (Opposition to Black Peter, jovial partner of Saint-Nicolas, consider him like a racist stereotype of former Dutch colonialism)

La police néerlandaise a interpellé samedi 90 partisans et opposants du personnage controversé de “Pierre le Noir” au cours du défilé annuel marquant l’arrivée de Saint-Nicolas et de ses compagnons. Les opposants à ce personnage folklorique avec sa coiffe afro, sa peau noire, ses boucles d’oreille clinquantes le considèrent comme un stéréotype raciste.

Dutch police today questioned 90 demonstrators who were opposing the the image of “Black Peter” during the annual parade to mark the arrival of Saint-Nicolas and his helpers. The opponents of this folklore character with his afro hair, black skin, clinking earrings consider him a racist stereotype. 

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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