Eleven taken into custody after intimidating anti Zwarte Piet protestors
Police arrested eleven people after they threatened Kick Out Zware Piet (KOZP) protestors in Breda. Around 80 supports of KOZP gathered near the exit of the John F. Knneylaan during the Sinterklaas arrival party to protest against 'grey' Piet, which the organization said is not an improvement from zwarte piet.
The protestors carried signs stating "racism is not a children's festival" and "grey piet is also racist."
Around one hour into the demonstration, a radical core of the NAC yelled, "Get out of our cities," towards the KOZP protestors, the Brabanste Dagblad reported.
Several people threatened KOZP supporters. Officers took eleven people into custody for intimidating KOZP supporters after they refused orders to leave.
"Breda is one of the few cities in the Netherlands where Zware Piets still shows all the characteristics that are reminiscent of the slavery past," a KOZP spokesperson told the AD. In Eindhoven, Tilburg and Den Bosch they have abandoned it but not here in Breda. As long as that happens, we will continue to demonstrate here." In Breda, grey piets accompanied the Sinterklaas' arrival this year, but opponents say that the grey piets are not an improvement from the black-faced piets.
KOZP will not hold their protest planned for tomorrow in Volendam. "We did not protest for the sake of it but because we believe something is going on which is unacceptable," KOZP chair Jerry Afriyie said.
