Half a million Facebookers sign Pietitie

In less than a day the Pietitie, a petition on Facebook for the preservation of Sinterklaas, received half a million Likes. Just after 8:00 am the 500,000 th visitor reported on the Pietitie page. The Pietitie was launched yesterday afternoon. The founders want to get as many Likes as possible before it's too late. They fear the tradition may be abolished and wouldn't know how to explain that to their children. The debate about Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet flared last week. Critics say the tradition of Zwarte Piet is racist. Yesterday a UN investigator said that Sinterklaas should be abolished. That led to a storm of protest in social media. Groepsportret bezoek_van_Sinterklaas_en_Zwarte_Piet
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source: Tropenmuseum The Facebook page 'Zwarte Piet is Racism' has about 6500 likes. This page exists since October 2011. Ronald Plasterk, Minister of the Internal Affairs doesn't mind if green or blue Pieten join the Black Pieten. He doesn't think it would interfere with the fun children have during the festivities, according to Plasterk in Pauw & Witteman. Friday Prime Minister Rutte already stated Zwarte Piet is just black and he can't change that. Officially, the government has no position on the Piet Issue.