I'm undecided. Blackface in general is quite rightly looked at askance nowadays, but Black Pete is a long-standing traditional figure in the Netherlands, and is a sympathetic, likeable character. If I was Dutch, I might want to keep him. Rather more problematical is the practise in Lewes of burning the pope in effigy, instead of Guy Fawkes, on November 5th: indeed, the habit of burning a guy in general seems to be getting quietly dropped these days. Traditional fun 'n' games or modern sensibilities: which is more important?
