The AvroTros is under heavy fire for their official statement about the Sinterklaas riot. Tim den Besten sang a traditional Sinterklaas song during a live broadcast of the broadcaster.
Tim den Besten was briefly a guest on Saturday during the live broadcast of AvroTros about the Canal Parade in Amsterdam. Just then he saw the AvroTros boat approaching, on which his good friend Nicolaas Veul was standing. “Sinterklaas, come in with your servant!”, the presenter started to sing.
Servant
The reason Tim sang that is because he jokingly calls his good friend Nicholas Saint Nicholas. Sinterklaas is a derivative of that name. However, critics find it inappropriate that Tim sang the traditional version of the song, which includes the word servant, especially since a number of black men were featured at the time.
While Tim sang the song, Jeangu MacRooy and his brother could be seen on television. They were also on the boat of AvroTros. The presenter has since apologized, but the AvroTros does not go that far.
Unhappy
The AvroTros does call it unfortunate. “We have had to deal with an unfortunate set of circumstances. Presenter Tim den Besten was a guest, who was looking for his colleague Nicolaas Veul on a boat. He also sang a Saint Nicholas song, not knowing that images of another boat had been shown on TV in the meantime.”
“Due to this unfortunate set of circumstances, this action may come across as not intended. We regret that. Obviously, this is not intentional and we look back on a beautiful registration of a special event in which diversity and inclusivity are paramount.”
angry reactions
AvroTros’ statement arouses enormous anger. Under the post on Instagram dozens of angry reactions. “What a disgusting racist display!! And you just support this with your weak statement. Disgusting!! You do show your true nature, “says Heran.
Jordy: “Nonsense. Such nonsense.. It’s cute how you try to rewrite this as if it wasn’t happening right next to each other LOL.”
And Xesca: “That behavior is unacceptable. In any case, apologize to all the people you made feel unsafe. What a bunch of gaslighters. Gadver.”
‘Do not believe it!’
Romy doesn’t believe AvroTros. “I don’t believe any of this. Slack slack slack excuse. And as said in another comment, the song is BERHAUPT unbelievably inappropriate in any context.”
Jules: “Sorry, but singing that song at all in any situation is not acceptable because it’s about slavery?”
And Lau: “Even if Tim didn’t know what was on the screen, you sing such a stupid song with those references in it. In addition, the directors knew very well what was being said from the camera control room and DESPITE Tim’s song decided to zoom in specifically on black people on that boat they were already filming ?.”
Response Tim
Tim cannot believe how many savage reactions he gets, also from the chairman of the political party Amsterdam BIJ1:
You can see the savage reactions that AvroTros gets under the Instagram post below:
