Amid the Israel-Hamas war, a Black pro-Palestinian Santa Claus character has caused an uproar in Belgium.
Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history on October 7. Israel in response subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. As of Wednesday, at least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing the Israeli government, and more than 16,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
On Wednesday, ahead of a planned public appearance in the city of Ghent in Belgium, Queen Nikkolah, a Black female character who distributes gifts and reformed versions of traditional Christmas stories, has caused an uproar as she planned to arrive at the city hall event dressed in the Palestinian flag’s colors to call attention to children in Gaza, according to the Telegraph.
As a result, many have criticized Queen Nikkolah causing Mathias de Clercq, mayor of Ghent, to call off her visit to the town hall.
“There is nothing wrong with Sinterklaas, as we know him,” de Clercq said. “We shouldn’t try to turn him into something else.”
Newsweek has reached out to de Clercq via email for comment.
Queen Nikkolah, an African alternative to Sinterklaas, the Belgian Santa Claus, had planned to hand out gifts to children at the Flemish city’s town hall on Wednesday before the event was canceled and moved to another location. More than 300 children planned to see the character on Wednesday, according to The Telegraph.
Members of the Right-wing New Flemish Alliance, the largest party in Belgium and its Dutch-speaking Flanders region, criticized the event labeling it “woker than woke”.
In addition, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, a party member, denounced the attempt to modernize Sinterklaas as “censorship” and compared the planned reworking of stories to book burning.
Nadia Sminate, a vice-chairman of the Flemish parliament, added to the criticism saying, “Queen Nikkolah’s initiative is actually saying that entire generations of Flemish people are racists.”
NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/Belga/AFP/Getty Images
However, Queen Nikkolah’s creator, Laura Nsengiyumva, felt the mayor’s decision to cancel was “symbolic.”
“It’s really telling us that ‘you are not official, you are not part of this society’,” Nsengiyumva, the Belgium-born architect and artist of Rwandan descent told the Guardian.
“People see Queen Nikkolah as a threat. But if I didn’t like this tradition, I wouldn’t have picked it up. It’s also a desire to be part of it,” Nsengiyumva added.
Newsweek has reached out to Nsengiyumva via email for comment.
Nsengiyumva created the character in 2017, looking for an alternative to the traditional narrative of Sinterklaas.
“It came from a need from the community, not only people of colour, but I think also white allies who needed an alternative to deconstruct the colonial myth around Sinterklaas,” Nsengiyumva told the Guardian.
This comes as Belgium and the Netherlands celebrate St Nicholas Day on December 6, with Sinterklaas usually accompanied by his companion Zwarte Piet—or Black Pete—a black-faced boy with curled hair and large, painted-on red lips.
Anti-racism campaigners have called for an end to the tradition in both countries.
A protest took place last month in the Belgian city of Kortrijk, calling for a more inclusive, child-friendly celebration without alleged racist stereotypes.
It was the first authorized protest against Zwarte Piet in Belgium.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.