Mayor allowed to block Zwarte Piet protests at Sinterklaas arrival: Rotterdam committee

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was well within his rights when he banned a demonstration against blackface Zwarte Piet in the city in November last year, the municipality's independent complaints committee ruled, RTV Rijnmond reports.

On November 12th, 2016 dozens of protesters were arrested for trying to demonstrate against Zwarte Piet at Sinterklaas' arrival in Rotterdam. Special areas were set aside for the protesters in Maassluis, the national arrival point for Sinterklaas last year, but they announced that they were not going to use those and finally ended up in Rotterdam, according to the broadcaster. Two protesters filed a complaint against the ban and the emergency order that went with it.

According to the committee, Aboutaleb "reasonably used the option provided by the Public Manifesto Act", RTV Rijnmond reports. As there was little time and there was reasonable suspicion of a certain threat, the choice for an emergency order and a demonstration ban was justified.