Mayor Bouke Arends of the municipality of Westland has declared an emergency order around the arrival of Sinterklaas in the village of De Lier. There are demonstrations going on there by the action group Kick Out Zwarte Piet, against which others are taking up arms.
The police expelled a group of people who, among other things, threw fireworks at Kick Out Zwarte Piet demonstrators. Officers with shields and batons previously tried to keep the two groups apart, an ANP reporter on the scene reported.
Drenthe
Bouke Arends has declared an emergency order. The mayor previously served as alderman and deputy mayor in Emmen. He grew up in Drenthe and was in the news a lot when, as deputy mayor, he closed the No Surrender clubhouse in Emmen in 2017.
Action groups
KOZP protests against the appearance of Piets during the arrival of Sinterklaas. Some of the Piets have been painted completely black, while another part still looks too dark with soot smears, says KOZP. The action group arrived in De Lier by bus shortly before 1:30 p.m., with many police in the area. Some people were walking on the street with black makeup on their faces, cars were honking and, among other things, people shouted: “Get the hell out of De Lier.”
After their arrival, the KOZP demonstrators were pelted with fireworks, eggs, cans and gingerbread nuts. A black smoke bomb was also thrown.
In the run-up to the Sinterklaas arrival in De Lier, police cameras were sprayed with polyurethane foam. The police arrested four people. The cameras have been hung there to ensure safety around the entry. The municipality has taken extra safety measures for the announced demonstration of Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP). The group is disappointed that Mayor Bouke Arends is not taking the lead in making the old “racist caricature Black Pete” disappear, especially in the current Commemoration Year for the History of Slavery.