Black Pete: harmless tradition or racist throwback?

Protests erupt in the Netherlands as critics say the controversial Christmas character Black Pete should be banned

Woman has her face painted to become Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)
(Image credit: ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP/Getty)

Dutch police have arrested 90 people after protesters clashed at a children's festival in the city of Gouda celebrating the controversial Christmas character, 'Black Pete', usually portrayed by a white person with a blacked up face.

"Arrests were made on both sides," according to police spokeswoman Yvette Verboon, as the debate surrounding the Christmas tradition continues to polarise Dutch society, Al Jazeera reports.

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