The chocolate letters are already on supermarket shelves, but the debate around the appearance of Black Pete[1] remains quiet. Earlier this year, Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP)[2] announced its intention to ‘retire’ in December 2025, confident that after fifteen years of protesting, their goals have been achieved and that Black Pete has disappeared from public spaces.[i] KOZP acknowledges that Black Pete still appears in some villages[ii], but believe that society has adopted their views, allowing them to “pass the baton to society”[iii]. But has Kick Out Zwarte Piet truly changed the Dutch perspectives? Let’s look at some facts and figures!
Firstly, how can the movement’s apparent success be explained? Research suggest that movements using disruptive tactics tend to be more successful than those adopting quieter, institutional approaches[iv]. This explains the apparent success of KOZP. They state that they use peaceful protest.[v] Peaceful protest can be disruptive if its confrontational, such as through strikes, and demonstrations, like KOZP did. Moreover, this is also dependent on the interpretations of the public. Many found the protests of KOZP disruptive because these protests happened during ´the celebration of a children’s party´[vi] , and therefore, the success of the movement can be explained.
When looking at the numbers, more people now believe Black Pete’s appearance should change[vii] and support has halved since 2016.[viii] The cultural impact of the KOZP-movement is evident through changes in children’s songs[ix], and books.[x] Additionally, the movement has had political consequences’: a 2017 initiative bill to anchor the Black color of ´Pete´ in the constitution was unsupported[xi] and in 2020, the Dutch prime minister acknowledged that his views has shifted, although he did not believe the government should enforce Black Pete’s abolishment.[xii]
KOZP has significantly influenced societal beliefs within fifteen years, justifying its planned retirement. But is everyone convinced of Black Pete’s racist nature? The conformity theory of Solomon Asch[xiii] suggest that people are likely to conform to the majority’s beliefs, especially when the majority is large, unanimous, and opinions are publicly expressed. Given that more than half of Dutch people support changing Black Pete’s appearance[xiv], it seems rational for KOZP to “let society do its thing” and let individuals adopt the majority views in the country.
However, it might be overly optimistic to assume that the remaining half of Dutch people will be as easily convinced. Who are these people that remain unconvinced after fifteen years and how likely is it that their views will change now? KOZP acknowledged that while in the big cities Black Pete may seem outdated, this is not the case in several other parts of the country.[xv] Supporters still appear in the southern[xvi], western and eastern parts of the Netherlands.[xvii] Support for Black Pete is not tied to one region. However, being a proponent of Black Pete is associated with political preference. Supporters of right-wing parties, such as, PVV, FvD & SGP, tend to favor traditional Black Pete more than left-wing voters.[xviii]
Personally, I find it hard to believe that KOZP has fully succeeded in “kicking out” Black Pete. Material from just a few years ago[xix] shows how normalized the character was and how protesters of KOZP were envied, such as this video[xx] shows. People still publicly supported it less than a year ago. [xxi] Additionally, movements often struggle to shift the public opinion when public attitudes are strong[xxii], as is the case with Black Pete.
The current political climate further complicates the situation, since the new Dutch government, with the PVV as largest party, presents a challenge to KOZP’s progress. As mentioned before, PVV-voters tend to support Black Pete more than other voters. Therefore, Asch’s conformity theory should be used cautiously, as conformity could be influenced by factors like the subject matter – in this case an age-old tradition with a strong public opinion, but also the political environment. Politics and culture are interconnected[xxiii]. With the political landscape shifting towards a more pro-Black Pete stance, there is a risk of undermining the cultural changes achieved over the past fifteen years.
In conclusion, while Kick Out Zwarte Piet has undoubtedly raised awareness and shifted some public beliefs, significant challenges remain. The persistence of Black Pete in various parts of the country and the presence of a right-wing government present substantial threats to the movement’s achievements. Therefore, raising the question: is Black Pete really ‘kicked out’ and how easy is it to ‘kick’ Black Pete back in? Only time will tell…
[1] Black Pete is Sinterklaas’s helper, who delivers gifts to children in November and December. Their black color is explained by the soot from going down chimneys.
[2] Kick Out Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) is a social movement raising awareness for the perceived racist character of Black Pete.
[i] Heyblom, O. (2024). Kick Out Zwarte Piet kondigt aan te stoppen: ‘Alles is volgens plan gegaan’. Het Parool. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from https://www.parool.nl/nederland/kick-out-zwarte-piet-kondigt-
aan-te-stoppen-alles-is-volgens-plan-gegaan~b77532a5/?referrer=https://www.google.nl/
[ii] Kick Out Zwarte Piet. (2022). Home – Kick out Zwarte Piet. Kick Out Zwarte Piet. Retrieved on 16th of
October from https://kozwartepiet.nl/
[iii] BNNVARA. (z.d.). Kick Out Zwarte Piet stopt ermee, het is nu aan de samenleving. Retrieved on 15th of
October 2024 from https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/kick-out-zwarte-piet-stopt-ermee-het-is-nu-aan-de-samenleving
[iv] Taylor, V., & Van Dyke, N. (2004). “Get up, stand up”: Tactical repertoires of social movements. The Blackwell
companion to social movements, 262-293.
[v] Kick Out Zwarte Piet. (n.d.). Kick out Zwarte Piet – Kick out Zwarte Piet. Kick Out Zwarte Piet. Retrieved on
16th of October 2024 from https://kozwartepiet.nl/kick-out-zwarte-piet/
[vi] VICE Nederland. (2018). Mee met de bus van Kick Out Zwarte Piet naar Den Helder [Video]. YouTube.
Retrieved on 17th of October 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4DfYcYLhYY
[vii] EenVandaag. (2020). Draagvlak voor Zwarte Piet steeds kleiner, meeste mensen denken dat de traditionele
piet helemaal verdwijnt. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from
[viii] Driessen, M., & Schelde, A., van der. (2022). Opnieuw meer Nederlanders voor verandering uiterlijk Piet.
Ipsos I&O Publiek. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from https://www.ipsos-publiek.nl/actueel/opnieuw-meer-nederlanders-voor-verandering-uiterlijk-piet/
[ix] Editie NL (2018). Sinterklaasje kom maar binnen met je Piet: nieuwe teksten blijven wennen. RTL Nieuws &
Entertainment. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from
[x] Weverling, A. (2023). Kinderboeken die met de Sinterklaastijd mee gaan: met bont gekleurde Pieten en een
vrouwelijke Sint. NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from
[xi] Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal(2017). Geen steun voor Zwarte Pietvoorstel. Retrieved on 15th of October
2024 from https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/plenaire_verslagen/kamer_in_het_kort/geen-
steun-voor-zwarte-pietvoorstel
[xii] NOS. (2020). Rutte: ik ben anders gaan denken over Zwarte Piet. Retrieved on 15th of October from
[xiii] Asch, S. E. (1956). Studies of independence and conformity: I. A minority of one against a
unanimous majority. Psychological monographs: General and applied, 70(9), 1. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0093718
[xiv] Driessen, M., & Schelde, A., van der. (2022). Opnieuw meer Nederlanders voor verandering uiterlijk Piet.
Ipsos I&O Publiek. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from https://www.ipsos-publiek.nl/actueel/opnieuw-meer-nederlanders-voor-verandering-uiterlijk-piet/
[xv] Kick Out Zwarte Piet. (2022). Home – Kick out Zwarte Piet. Kick Out Zwarte Piet. Retrieved on 16th of
October 2024 from https://kozwartepiet.nl/
[xvi] Omroep Brabant (2023). Voorstanders zwarte piet zijn boos en gaan achter de intocht aan. Omroep Brabant.
Retrieved on 16th of October 2024 from https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4373040/voorstanders-
zwarte-piet-zijn-boos-en-gaan-achter-de-intocht-aan
[xvii] NOS. (2023). Op drie plaatsen inofficiële intocht met zwart geschminkte pieten. Retrieved on 16th of October
2024 from https://nos.nl/artikel/2499236-op-drie-plaatsen-inofficiele-intocht-met-zwart-geschminkte-
pieten
[xviii] Driessen, M., & Schelde, A., van der. (2022). Opnieuw meer Nederlanders voor verandering uiterlijk Piet.
Ipsos I&O Publiek. Retrieved on 15th of October 2024 from https://www.ipsos-
publiek.nl/actueel/opnieuw-meer-nederlanders-voor-verandering-uiterlijk-piet/
[xix] Bahara, N. & Ezzeroili, N. (2019). Zo werd het pro-Zwarte Piet-protest steeds gewelddadiger. De Volkskrant.
Retrieved on 17th of October 2024 from https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/zo-werd-het-pro-zwarte-piet-protest-steeds-gewelddadiger~bd07c121/?referrer=https://www.google.nl/
[xx] VICE Nederland. (2018). Mee met de bus van Kick Out Zwarte Piet naar Den Helder [Video]. YouTube.
Retrieved on 17th of October 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4DfYcYLhYY
[xxi] Ketelaar, T. (2023). Zwarte Piet. NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved on 17th of October 2024 from
[xxii] Amenta, E., Caren, N., Chiarello, E and Yang, S. (2010) The Political Consequences of Social Movements. Annual Review Sociology, 36, 287–307. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc- 070308-120029
[xxiii] Inglehart, R. (2020). Modernization and postmodernization: Cultural, economic, and political change in 43
societies. Princeton University Press.
