Google has made a swift but dramatic entry into the Zwarte Piet debate. The tech giant has announced that all websites and YouTube videos which glorify or praise Zwarte Piet will no longer be able to make money from video or website ads.
The most surprising aspect of Google’s ban is that it extends across all forms of Zwarte Piet — even those introduced as Zwarte Piet “Lite”, such as Roetveegpiet (Soot Piet).
Soot Piet is supposed to have black streaks on his face from climbing up and down chimneys. However, this character will also be banned under Google’s new rules.
The company justifies this, saying that alternative forms of Zwarte Piet are “still based on racial stereotypes.” A spokesperson tells Nu.nl that Google took the extreme measure of banning all versions of the character “to keep the policy as consistent as possible.”
The decision takes the Zwarte Piet debate one step further than even opposition groups to Zwarte Piet do. The Kick Out Zwarte Piet action group accepts Soot Piet as a non-racist variant — but Google disagrees.
No advertising money
Google, who owns YouTube, will still allow Zwarte Piet videos on the video website. However, the videos will not be able to make money through Google’s advertising platforms. “We don’t want to get in the way of the debate about Zwarte Piet,” a Google spokesperson tells RTL Nieuws.
A traditional depiction of Zwarte Piet (left), and the newer Soot Piet (right). Image: Andre Engels/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0 & Ziko van Dijk/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0
An exception to the rule applies for videos or websites related to journalism or for the purpose of educaton. “A report by a news organization about a protagonist demonstration will show advertisements,” said the spokesperson. “That is not possible with a video in which someone very much promotes Zwarte Piet.”
The ongoing debate
The contentious Dutch childhood figure, Zwarte Piet, has been a heated debate subject in the Netherlands. The traditional portrayal of the character includes characteristics like blackface, an afro, gold hoop earrings, and wide red lips. However, defendants of Zwarte Piet argue that the character is not a racist caricature, but a “childhood tradition.”
Do you think that Soot Pete is an acceptable alternative? And do you agree with Google’s decision overall? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
This past week has seen hospitals struggle to cope with the rising number of coronavirus patients. Mayors have begun to worry for their hospitals and await new restrictions, but tonight’s press conference may prove to be a let-down.
Tonight’s press conference will be disheartening for anyone who was hoping for stricter measures.
As speculated earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister for Health Hugo de Jonge have decided not to introduce drastic new coronavirus measures. “It is too early to draw any conclusions, to slam on the brakes,” Rutte says.
What will change? If anything
For now, not much will be changing. There will be another press conference next Tuesday where new measures may be announced, but a decision has yet to be made.
But for the time being, Prime Minister has asked that members of the public buckle up and follow the current measures as they are. The plan is for these measures will remain in place through December.
“What we know for sure is that these measures are needed for much longer than four weeks,” Rutte has said.
When asked by RTL about how long he expects these measures to last, De Jonge was in agreement with Rutte: “It’s hard to predict. The current measures might be in place through Christmas or New Years.”
The Prime Minister and Minister of Health believe that the Netherlands needs to wait to see the results of the current measures. The R number is currently 1.16 — this is a decrease, but still above 1.
Number of weekly deaths come close to doubling
Today’s numbers released by the RIVM have shown that coronavirus cases and deaths are continuing to rise throughout the Netherlands.
This weeks report showed an increase of 10,000 more coronavirus cases compared to last week, at 67,542 new positive tests. Hospitals saw 1,739 new patients in nursing wards and 333 patients in the ICU.
The number of deaths this week came close to doubling those of last week with 329 people losing their battle against the virus.
Hospitals under pressure but stricter measures won’t help
This week has seen The Hague hospital temporarily close its emergency department on Friday due to increasing pressure. Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague describes the situation as “actually unacceptable. The pressure is increasing: on the care, the beds and the staff. It is really bad,” says RTL in a separate report.
The heat has also been felt by the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht. The hospital notified GPs and ambulances that it cannot accept any more coronavirus patients within the next 24 hours.
The Ministers have said that they believe stricter measures will not relieve the current pressure on hospitals.
Those who will be in the hospital next week are already infected now. This means that regardless of new measures, hospitals will continue to be under pressure due to coronavirus. It would be a waste to take measures now because we may be able to reach our goals with our current measures.
“Our behaviour makes a difference, not so much the measures.”
What about Sinterklaas?
Rutte is hopeful that the current measures will last throughout December. This means that families will be able to celebrate Sinterklaas in small groups with no more than three visitors from different households.
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COVID-19 cases are steadily on the rise. The RIVM reported 67,542 new coronavirus infections this week, up from 55,587 the previous week.
Meanwhile, nursing wards across the country admitted an additional 1,739 patients. This is higher than the 1,492 patients hospitalized the week before.
Of those in hospital, 333 are in ICU, which again is higher than the previous week’s 287.
Those who passed away this week from the coronavirus amounts to 329, significantly more than the 185 who died from the virus the week before.
Hospitals reach full capacity
Mayors across the country are calling for stricter measures, as many hospitals and departments reach full capacity. Coronavirus patients are being turned away from wards, such as at Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht.
On Friday evening, the emergency department in The Hague was forced to temporarily close. The mayors, who see the situation as unacceptable, will meet tonight to further discuss the situation.
“Draconian measures” on the cards
There’s a chance the mayors will get what they want, as Prime Minister Rutte and Health Minister De Jonge have warned that “draconian measures” may come if people do not take the current measures seriously.
This could mean no house visits at all, a curfew, and no more than two people would be able to go out together in public. Whether such measures will be implemented should be clarified in later in the week.
Party of 300 shut down by police
Rutte’s warning appears to have been necessary. This past week, police found more than 300 people partying at a construction site. Only two people were arrested, including a DJ who reportedly kicked the officers. However, police had no power to enforce disciplinary action on the partygoers, despite none of the corona measures being upheld, so most of them left with no consequences.
New rapid test streets
Dutch COVID-19 testing capabilities are expected to expand in the next few weeks, as seven new test streets are being put in place. These sights will be built, run and safeguarded by soldiers. Rapid tests which yield results within a minute will be used, cutting down waiting times dramatically.
Six out of 10 Dutch people say they’d choose Biden if they could vote in the US elections.
Just one week away from the US presidential election, and according to Ipsos (global market research and public opinion specialist), 61% of the Dutch population would vote for the democratic candidate Joe Biden if they could.
The same survey found that only one in 10 would vote for the incumbent Donald Trump. While 28% of the quizzed Dutchies responded with a ‘don’t know’ or did not want to answer.
However, the Dutch are split regarding how they anticipate the actual election to result. Those favouring Biden to win amounts to 31%, while 30% believe Trump will maintain his presidency for another four years of political satire.
The remaining 36% don’t want to stake their money on either horse in this erratic race for presidency.
International opinions
Of the 24 countries surveyed (excluding the US), most people say they would vote for Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
In only two countries, Poland and Russia, does preference for Trump equal or outweigh that of Biden.
Conversely, in Mexico, only 7% of people say that Trump would be their preferred candidate.
In Russia, Biden is only preferred by a meagre 13%, while in Sweden, on the other hand, he’s favoured by a whopping 73%.
When it comes to who the rest of the world predicts will actually win the election, all 24 countries believe Biden is going to take it over Trump.
Interestingly, across all lines, Great Britain tends to closely share the opinions of the Netherlands, with only a percentage or two difference in any category.
Fake news
Nearly half (46%) of people surveyed in the Netherlands see the spread of “fake news” as a threat to the US presidential elections.
However, only one in five (21%) also think the spread of “fake news” will threaten the upcoming Dutch parliamentary elections in March.
Ipsos collected survey responses from 18,000 Dutch citizens between September 25 and October 9.
Who do you favour to win in the upcoming US election? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!
Prime Minister Mark Rutte has criticised Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erodgan for his insulting comments against France’s president, Emmanuel Macron.
In a televised speech on Saturday, President Erdogan said Emmanuel Macron “needs psychiatric help.”
Erdogan has accused France of initiating a witch-hunt against Muslims, referring to a speech Macron made about a plan to end Islamic separatism.
The French government, in turn, responded by recalling its ambassador from Ankara.
In a tweet, Rutte joined in the argument, expressing support for the common French and European values. He said Erdogan’s comments were “unacceptable” and “the Netherlands stands for free speech and against extremism.” The criticism was communicated in Dutch, English and French.
President Erdogan’s words addressing President @EmmanuelMacron are unacceptable. The Netherlands stands firmly with France and for the collective values of the European Union. For the freedom of speech and against extremism and radicalism.
Spurred by the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty by a Muslim extremist (from which they’ve received no sympathising message from Turkey), France is investigating people and organisations who have been sympathetic with the terrorist attack.
Referring to Islam as a “religion in crisis”, Macron is planning for new measures against extremist Muslim groups and mosques that pose a threat to democracy.
Other nations chime in
Around the EU, other politicians have joined in the quarrel as well. EU foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell has called on Erdogan to end this “dangerous spiral of confrontation.”
German Chancellor Merkel says she found Erdogan’s statements “defamatory.”
In other parts of the world, people have been outraged with France, setting fire to the French flag.
In Bangladesh, people have taken to the streets to demonstrate against France, carrying signs with a caricature of the French president and the words, “Macron is the enemy of peace.”
Wilders stirs the pot
Adding fuel to the fire (per usual), PVV leader Geert Wilders shared a cartoon on Twitter showing Erdogan wearing a bomb with a burning fuse for a hat, with the text, “Terrorist.”
President Erdogan, also poured some gasoline on this dumpster fire and filed a complaint with his lawyer against Wilders, saying the politician had insulted the Turkish head of state.
What do you make of all this confrontation? Should the Netherlands be involved? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Last week, Escape Room Mysterium in Utrecht was broken into, but the thieves didn’t seem to be the sharpest tools in the box.
The perpetrators spent a considerable amount of time breaking into an antique safe, which was merely a part of the escape room. After battling with it for a while, they finally opened it, even though the key was hidden around the corner. When they cracked it open they found only riddles and clues, reports DUIC.
The thieves did walk away with cash (10€), a camera (€400), candy and soft drinks.
Anna-Maria Giannattasio, the owner of the escape room, says this is not the first burglary they’ve had to deal with. Vandalism has also been a recurring issue. “It is especially annoying that we have to deal with these kinds of matters. Such cowardly action in difficult COVID times will only bring us destruction and sorrow,” she says.
Still open for business
Despite corona and the break-in, the Mysterium is still open for groups of up to four people. Of course, Giannattasio has had to buy a new safe in the meantime.
“By the way, I’m curious whether those bunglers would be able to escape at all if they were inside as a guest,” she continued. “But 60% of the visitors to our Mysterium escape room escaped and these were certainly not smart people.”
Police are currently investigating the most recent burglary.
What do you make of this escape room burglary? Let us know in the comments below.
Mayors are holding their breath as hospitals throughout the Netherlands begin to reach full capacity. Many want to see stricter measures to curb increasing pressure on hospitals. “The cabinet must now show strength,” Cor Lamers, Mayor of Schiedam says.
The plea from many mayors follows the closure or impending closure of multiple hospitals/departments due to full capacity caused by increasing coronavirus cases.
For example, the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht has decided to refuse patients for the next 24 hours as all of its beds are full. Further, the emergency department in The Hague was forced to temporarily close on Friday evening.
Dordrecht hospital closed for 24 hours
Dordrecht’s hospital board chairman, Peter Van der Meer, describes the hospital’s situation as “very worrying”, RTL Nieuws reports. He explains that the hospital has told local GPs and ambulance services that the hospital cannot receive any more coronavirus patients for the next 24 hours.
This is because the hospital does not have the staff to treat any additional patients. “It is not possible to open another corona department because we do not have enough staff to do so.”
Van der Meer describes the difficult decision to refuse patients as “diametrically opposed to our sense of duty and our social function. There is no other option, without compromising quality and safety for the patients now entrusted to our care.”
Mayors plea
Mayors from security regions are set to meet tonight to discuss the rising coronavirus cases in their regions. Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague describes the situation in The Hague Hospital’s emergency department as “actually unacceptable. The pressure is increasing: on the care, the beds and the staff: It is really bad,” says RTL in a separate report.
Van Zanen did not say whether or not he thought stricter measures are needed but Schiedam Mayor Cor Lamers has been outright about his opinion. He believes the cabinet needs to enforce stricter measures, and soon. “The figures are so alarming. We are now in favour of stricter measures.”
A waiting game
For now, mayors must wait for the cabinet to make a decision surrounding stricter measures. Tonight’s press conference may come as a disappointment for those under pressure, as it has been speculated that harsher measures will not be implemented this week.
Annemarie Penn-te Strake, Mayor of Maastricht, has said that she needs to “hold [her] breath,” whilst the mayor of Breda describes the rise in coronavirus cases amongst the region’s elderly as “cause for concern.”
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Four submerged settlements from the Middle Ages have been discovered in the northeast of the Netherlands.
Urk and Schokland, two settlements in the Zuiderzee area, have long been thought to have been the only villages in the region that existed back in the middle ages. Now though, maritime archaeologist Yftinus van Popta of the University of Gronigen has discovered four more, reports Omroep Nederland.
Van Popta has been conducting research in the area for five years, following a hunch. Archaeologists had long suspected that the settlements existed but didn’t know their exact location. He’ll now pursue his doctorate for further research.
Archaeological finds
Archaeological materials have been turning up in the area for many years and were believed to have come from ships. But the discovery of the villages, Marcnesse, Nagele, Fenehuysen I, Fenehuysen II, can finally prove otherwise.
Van Popta never believed the theory anyway. “Those things ended up there between 1100 and 1300 AD. The oldest ships were there between 1250 and 1300 AD,” he says.
Van Popta is pleased with his findings. “We have discovered a new part of the Netherlands and made it visible, where real people have lived. I was convinced, but then you still have to prove that it is. It is very nice that you did not work for five years in vain.”
Bones, bricks, and pottery
The archaeologist combined soil profiles, historical maps, satellite images and archaeological finds to create a replica of how the area would have looked in the past.
He discovered the old villages were mostly made up of bones, bricks, and pottery. “Bricks are the remains of houses, bones come from the flesh that they ate, and the pottery they cooked with.”
The pottery found likely belonged to the first inhabitants in the area during the tenth and eleventh century.
Exploration to come
With this revelation, further research is anticipated. “We have actually made sure that no more digging is allowed in the area…Next year I want to see if we can do more targeted research into the drowned villages.”
Are you surprised by these newly discovered villages? Let us know in the comments below!
“Thou shalt not steal” — unless of course you are a (former) colonial power pinching heritage from the lands you have exploited. Then feel free to “safeguard” these stolen items in your museum collections for eternity. Repatriation? Consent? Pffft.
It appears that the Dutch are looking to remedy this hugely unjust tradition, bolstered by the Rijksmuseum and Tropenmuseum both expressing support for a recent government report (translated title:Colonial Collections and Recognition of Injustice) outlining the need to repatriate art stolen by Dutch colonisers.
Repatriation, simply put, is the return of cultural items to their land of origin, and is an integral facet of the larger, on-going issue of decolonisation in museums.
But why is this important? Curious? This article will introduce the general argument for decolonisation, and offer thoughts on the future of museums.
Museums and colonialism: the ugly truth
I adore museums but they once had a very insidious role within colonialist countries, as many academic articles such as this one outline:
“Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, museums emerged as active tools of empire, showcasing Eurocentric and racialised ideals and narratives.”
Museums were often used to publicly justify expansion and imperial rule, and created a distinction between “primitive art” and “civilisation”. It was not just cultural theft, it was the use of stolen heritage (and often humans) to perpetuate racist views and an inhumane system.
If you are taking the “yes, but that was in the Past” approach, then sorry but its influence isn’t confined to history. Take the Pitt Rivers Museum in 2020, for example. According to their director:
“Our audience research has shown that visitors often saw the museum’s displays of human remains as a testament to other cultures being ‘savage’, ‘primitive’ or ‘gruesome’.’’
Museums still have the ability to validate and continue traditional narratives dripping in racism and cultural-insensitivity. The Netherlands, as a former colonial power, is no exception to this.
Many museums across the Netherlands hold colonial artefacts. Christian Fregnan/Unsplash.
Enter decolonisation
Sharon Heal writes that: “to decolonise is to add context that has been deliberately ignored and stripped away over generations.” Much heritage, acquired illegally, is presented incorrectly or without cultural sensitivity. In fact, the origins of many items are unknown.
But you may wonder: is this not a re-writing of history? The answer is yes.
It is the re-writing of an unjust, poorly formulated, one-sided account of “our” collective past, offering instead a more valuable world history that includes the narratives and experiences of those that were/are most brutally oppressed, exploited and ignored.
The Dutch and their colonial past
Such a movement is desperately needed as the current approach is failing. After a deeply depressing survey in 2014 found that 59% of Britons were proud of the British Empire, YouGov conducted a second, international version in 2019 where they heaped on more misery by discovering that the Dutch are the worst.
Being British, I’m used to being disappointed in a country whose approach to addressing their highly controversial and exploitative past is to stick their fingers in their ears and sing Rule Britannia as loudly as they can… But the “progressive” Netherlands? How do the Dutch fair in all of this?
What the report could lead to
The report echoes similar approaches from other nations, and it’s important to note that decolonisation isn’t a recent phenomenon, and much positive work has already been done.
For example, The Amsterdam Museum has decided to drop the term “The Golden Age” when referring to the period of history during which the Netherlands exploited and colonised many. However, the Rijksmuseum decided to retain the term.
This year has also brought about a discussion surrounding the “Golden Carriage” and whether or not it should be used. The carriage is decorated with multiple painted panels, one of which depicts a white woman being served by what can only be interpreted as a row of slaves. The “slave panel” has been cited as one of the reasons why the carriage should be left in the stables.
Hopefully, the latest report can bring about further positive change in the Netherlands. However, for a deeper and more lasting change the report needs concrete support from at least three key areas:
Support from fellow museums:
In 2019, the German Museums Association published important guidelines for the care of collections from colonial contexts. In December of this year the Humboldt Forum in Berlin — with its enormous ethnographic collection — plans to open. It’s collection is, unsurprisingly, highly controversial.
If we are to see real change in Dutch museums, it must be a nationwide movement that is sternly implemented.
Support from governments:
The UK’s current right-wing, Tory government’s approach to discussing the country’s history is known to be counterproductive and ignorant. Due to the need for government funding, museums are then put in an unenviable, restricted situation.
The Dutch government has also began talks surrounding the issue of returning colonial artefacts, now it is a question of whether anything will come of this. If the Netherlands is to see change, the government must act and impose strict policies.
“The NMWC uses a typical Dutch approach. Even before negotiations have started, conditions are already on the table.”
The Dutch took many Indonesian artefacts while they were a colonial power over Indonesia. Image: Paolo Nicolello/Unsplash
So what should Dutch museums do now?
Museums need to keep going, keep improving. And fast.
They should be protagonists for positive change not puppets for the status-quo. Not authoritarian institutions, but promoters of fair communication and cross-cultural cooperation. They need to be safe spaces for these discussions to take place.
Dutch museums are taking steps in the right direction, but they need our help. And if they don’t change? Well, they can expect a more forceful resistance. Just ask the Brooklyn Museum who, this year, felt the wrath of activist group, Decolonize This Place.
In short: We should support our museums, but they need to be held accountable.
What do you think of the need to decolonize museums? Let us know in the comments below!
