Dutch police don 'racist' Black Peter disguise to catch Christmas thieves The Dutch Santa and his black assistants take to the streets with bags of sweets for good children and, traditionally, a broom for spanking the badly behaved. In recent years the Zwarte Pieten have become controversial and sparked accusations of racism despite a strong defence of the tradition by most Dutch and Belgian who enjoy the Sinterklaas festivities. Jessica Silversmith, director of the regional Anti-Discrimination Bureau for Amsterdam, said that the campaign against Black Peter had growing support. "Nobody is against the Sinterklaas celebration or is calling people who celebrate it racist," she told AP. But it is time to consider whether this is offensive, whether there actually are racist ideas underlying Zwarte Piet. Last year, there were violent clashes with the police when four men were arrested for wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Zwarte Piet is Racism" on a Sinterklaas. Zwarte Pieten were also banned from a traditional Santa Claus festival in Suriname, a former Dutch colony, for being "racist" during Christmas in 2011.