Green party prank backfires; Hoorn keeping blackface Zwarte Piet

On Monday the municipality of Hoorn announced in a press release that Green Pieten will attending Sinterklaas in the city this year, to emphasize the sustainable character of the city. This backfired quite completely, resulting in responsible GroenLinks alderman Samir Bashara having to issue another press release in which he apologized for the publicity stunt. Hoorn will keep to the traditional blackface Zwarte Piet. "Along the way I want to offer my most sincere apologies for the commotion caused by the press release about the announced 'Green Pieten'. I completely understand the outrage that followed and it touched me deeply", Bashara said in his second press release of the day, Ons Westfriesland reports. The GroenLinks alderman continues that the press release was unclear and misguided and should not have been released, "at least not in this form". "It was never the intention to call into question the value of the Sinterklaas festival as a kids festival. I regret that this impression has arisen." Bashara will apologize to his aldermen colleagues in person on Tuesday.