It does not seem to be news that no arrests were made during the national arrival of Sinterklaas in Meppel in 2015. A children’s party that was simply held cheerfully. But that was very different at that time. What also played a role were yellow collars for the Piets.
“We were the only arrival that went smoothly in those years,” is one of the first sentences that then mayor Jan Westmaas says when he looks back on the arrival. “I think we can be very proud of that.”
It has been ten years since the national Sinterklaas arrival took place in Meppel, so far the only time it has been held in Drenthe. This entry took place in the middle of the Black Pete discussion. A year before, in 2014, things went completely wrong in Gouda during the national Sinterklaas arrival, when supporters and opponents got into an argument. Ninety people were arrested, and it was the first time in history that the police had to intervene on a large scale during the children’s party.