Facebook is banning controversial Dutch character ‘Zwarte Piet’ 

In an update to its community standards, Facebook just announced it will no longer allow depictions of Zwarte Piet (or Black Pete) on Facebook and Instagram. This racialized character is part of a Dutch December holiday, Sinterklaas, that celebrates the holiday of Saint Nicholas.  Sinterklaas is depicted as a bearded, white gentleman (a thinner Santa, basically) while the Black Petes, his ‘helpers,’ appear as blackface characters with large gold earrings and exaggerated lips. The question of whether or not Zwarte Piet is racist and should be banned completely is among the most heated and polarizing Dutch debates of the past…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Facebook