The Dutch Grapple With “Black Pete”

The black-faced, red-lipped servant of Sinterklaas – often more beloved by regular folks than the goody-goody St. Nick himself, it must be said – has been the subject of controversy in the Netherlands off and on for decades. But this year, following the suggestion by a black UNESCO official that the character should be abolished, the issue has become “an existential revolt not seen in Dutch society since the murder of Pim Fortuyn.”