DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

22 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Pro-Piet activists are ‘asos’, says prime minister after Sinterklaas violence

November 19, 2018
Sinterklaas and traditional Piets in the Dutch village of De Rijp. Photo: DutchNews.nl.
Sinterklaas and traditional Piets in the Dutch village of De Rijp. Photo: DutchNews.nl

Prime minister Mark Rutte has described the angry mobs who attacked people demonstrating against the blackface Zwarte Piet tradition at this year’s Sinterklaas processions as ‘asos’ or anti-socials, but failed to explicitly condemn the violence.

‘It is a serious matter because everyone has the right to protest, it has to be possible,’ Rutte told reporters in The Hague. ‘We can’t let anti-social elements stop that.’

Rutte went on to downplay the problems, pointing out that the main procession in Zaandijk, had gone off well. ‘So you see, it can be done,’ the prime minister said. ‘But in a couple of places there were problems because football hooligans were waiting to cause trouble.’

The worst violence was in Eindhoven, where an estimated 250 football hooligans and pro-Piet activists surrounded a small group of demonstrators on Saturday, throwing eggs at them and hurling racist and sexist abuse. In Tilburg on Sunday, police arrested 44 pro-Piet demonstrators to stop them attacking a small anti-Piet demonstration.

In Nijmegen, The Hague, Leeuwarden and Den Helder anti-blackface activists were unable to hold their protests, or had their demonstration cut short, because of the threat of attacks.

On Sunday Amnesty International, the national ombudsman and the director of the Centre for Public Order and Security as well as MPs called on Rutte to speak out in defence of the right to free speech.

Football hooligans

It is up to society at large, not politicians to solve the dispute, the prime minister said. ‘What we can do is make a deal that adults behave like adults when they are in the vicinity of small children.’

The prime minister’s comments were immediately criticised by GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver, who said Rutte was wrong to dismiss ‘peaceful demonstrators and racist hooligans’ as part of the same problem. ‘It is time for leadership,’ he said. ‘Speak out clearly against racism.’

Amsterdam

In Amsterdam on Sunday, 400,000 people turned out to welcome Sinterklaas, who was accompanied by 350 sooty-faced Piets. The Dutch capital has been phasing out the traditional blackface make-up over the past few years.

Two opinion polls published this weekend both show that most Dutch people still support the traditional blackface Piets but that more people are amenable to change.

In particular, young people are more likely to support a shift towards sooty faces, the EenVandaag and Maurice de Hond polls show.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Fewer international students starting bachelor degrees in NL
Dutch house prices up 10% on a year ago, latest figures show
Dutch fishing giants accused of forming ocean oligopoly
Suicides rise to new high among young women under 30
Foundations and the future: what you need to think about
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now