Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
BzqBlLWIAAIg2tj
- Credit: Zwarte Piet (Picture: Twitter/@ScepsisNL)
Cesare Kno'ledge
Dordrecht
National Ombudsman
Quinsy Gario
wrongly arrested
Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet is Racisme
Friday, 17 October 2014 - 15:13
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Police arrest of Zwarte Piet protestors a mistake: report

The police in Dordrecht wrongly arrested two men in 2011 because they protested against Zwarte Piet at the arrival of Sinterklaas. The National Ombudsman declared their complaint against the police valid. At the Sinterklaas arrival on November 12th, 2011, the men wore T-shirts with the slogan "Zwarte Piet is Racism" and were arrested for disrupting public order, according to the police officers. According to the Ombudsman, the police were not allowed to do so. Nor were they allowed to handcuff the one man while he was not resisting arrest. The arrest of the two men, artist Quinsy Gario and rapper Cesare Kno'ledge, marks the beginning of public interest in the objections to the slavish appearance and behavior of Zwarte Piet. These concerns have led to heated discussions, legal proceedings and changes in the appearance of Zwarte Piet. During the protesters' hearing it came out that the issue of skin color played a roll in the arrest. One of the officers asked Quinsy Gario: "What ethnicity are you that you want to draw attention to it?" and "Don't you see Sinterklaas as a piece of tradition?" According to the Ombudsman, the officer acted "contrary to professionalism".

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Patients find it harder to get an appointment with their doctor
  • Suspects in hate speech laser projections face community service for Breda attack
  • Romania detains 3 Dutch people for phishing scams; Fourth held in Enschede
  • Artificial den built for badgers where burrowing threatened railroad structure
  • IPCC: global warming "likely" to pass 1.5 degree mark, but there are bright spots
  • Netherlands announces first offshore green hydrogen factory

Top stories

  • IPCC: global warming "likely" to pass 1.5 degree mark, but there are bright spots
  • Russia’s Medvedev suggests possible rocket attack on ICC in The Hague
  • The Netherlands remains in 5th on World Happiness Report
  • Share of social housing rentals keeps falling despite gov't plans
  • BBB up to 17 seats in Senate, Coalition down to 22
  • Sint Maarten MP Brison suspected of corruption was released, remains suspect

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content