Anti-Zwarte Piet activists block Mediapark footbridge

A group of anti-Zwarte Piet protesters occupied a footbridge to the Mediapark in Hilversum on Monday morning. They call on broadcaster NTR to use only so-called Chimney Pieten with soot marks on their faces in the Sinterklaasjournaal, instead of Pieten with completely black faces, NU.nl reports.

Early in October NTR issued a statement saying that only Chimney Pieten will be on the Sinterlaasjournaal and at the national arrival in Zaanstad this year. But three days later the broadcaster said that some of the Pieten could also be "completely black".

The demonstrators at Mediapark say that "NTR is not crossing the bridge", which is why they blocked a bridge to Mediapark buildings.

A spokesperson for the Midden-Nederland police confirmed the demonstration to the newspaper. The police consulted with the municipality of Hilversum. A group of officers asked the demonstrators to leave the bridge and move their demonstration to another location in the neighborhood, and they agreed.

NTR was not available to comment to NU.nl.

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