Dutch fans wore blackface makeup to dress up like Ruud Gullit; One says he’ll stop
Three Oranje supporters caused outrage in international media and online by wearing blackface to dress up as Ruud Gullit, who won the 1988 European Championship with the Dutch national team. At least one of them has decided to stop doing so, he anonymously told RTL Nieuws.
Photos of the three Ruud Gullit lookalikes were broadly shared on social media and in physical print. “Netherlands fans are accused of doing 'blackface' in attempt to dress up as legend Ruud Gullit during Euro 2024 victory over Poland,” wrote the Daily Mail, one of many newspapers to cover the incident.
One of the Gullit doppelgängers told RTL Nieuws that he personally received “only nice reactions” in his costume but has decided not to do it again. “The fuss made me think for a moment. It may still evoke unpleasant feelings in others, even though I really adore Gullit and, therefore, imitate him. I sincerely accept that.”
Many people abroad associate the Netherlands with blackface due to the blackface Sinterklaas character Zwarte Piet, who, in his traditional form, is played by white people wearing blackface makeup, afro wigs, bright red lips, and gold earrings. The tradition has been changing, and Piet is taking different forms, but it hasn’t gone without resistance. Every year, anti-racism protesters are confronted by blackface Zwarte Pieten around Sinterklaas celebrations.
Abroad, there is often little understanding of why Dutch people don’t seem to understand that blackface is racist, sociologist Aspha Bijnaar - an expert on the Dutch colonial past - told RTL Nieuws. Part of that is the Dutch self-image, she said. “We see the Netherlands as a tolerant country, we believe that we can say anything. That stems from arrogance. Who are they to say that we should not carry out our traditions?”
She explained that blackface originated in the period of Dutch colonialism and slavery with the aim of ridiculing black people. That makes it hurtful, even if hurting was not the intention, Bijnaar explained. “It’s easy to say that it wasn’t intended that way.” But that ignores that actions have an impact, regardless of intention.
The Gullit impersonator RTL spoke to fell into that trap. He said he realizes that now and will stop wearing blackface. “It turns out that I offend people with it. That’s really the last thing I want. So I decided to stop,” he said. He worries that he offended his hero. “It does mean something to me. I tried to contact him to ask whether he thinks what I did was racist.”
RTL Nieuws also tried to reach Gullit for a response, but he was unavailable.
