♫ ‘Tis the season to be jolly. ♫

But in the Netherlands Santa’s little helpers are none other than “jolly” Black slaves. Or at least white people dressing up like them, donning offensive blackface and all.

Black activists have campaigned against the tradition they say stems from colonial times, but today those speaking out have been beaten and harassed by both the police and the far-right.

redfish investigates how behind the veneer of “Dutch tolerance” lies a dark side of racist nostalgia and ignorance.