The Municipality of Gouda has forbidden us to express our opinion at the national Saint Nicholas parade on the Gouda Market. The organization Kickout Zwarte Piet had planned to organize a peaceful and silent protect, just like the protest during the festivities in Amsterdam in 2013.
The Municipality of Gouda claims our Silent Protest will provoke aggressive behavior from Zwarte Piet protesters who will not respect our rights. We are being limited in our freedom as aggressive Black Piet supporters could disrupt public order whilst we aim to voice our opinion in a non-violent way. This means that aggressive behavior is being rewarded and this may encourage similar behavior in the future.
JOIN US SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15th at the Market in Gouda
We call on everyone join us in Gouda to state that the racist caricature Zwarte Piet does not belong in a civilized country. In the spirit of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela we cannot accept unjust measures limiting our freedom of speech. The Ombudsman recently ruled that the police acted unlawfully and infringed the fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech, when protestors were violently arrested during the Saint Nicolas festivities of 2011. The police should protect the peaceful protest against aggressive pro-Zwarte Piet protesters and not limit our freedom of speech.
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