This study concerns itself with the controversy surrounding the Dutch winter holiday tradition Sinterklaas , which involves the figure of Zwarte Piet or ‘Black Pete’. At first glance, the struggle revolves around whether or not Zwarte Piet is a racist 'blackface' character. However, this thesis explores how people’s participation in the debate can also be viewed as affirmations, claims or propositions about the norms of discussion themselves – who is allowed to have a say, what kinds of arguments are legitimate and how and where should the discussion take place? Through a detailed analysis of interactions in three widely diverging institutional contexts, the author traces how ostensibly neutral interaction norms for debate about the topic imply specific understandings of history, racism and national belonging and identity that go beyond the question whether or not the holiday tradition carries any racist elements. This reveals how protest against the figure of Zwarte Piet can function as an opportunity to deepen the understanding and expand the practices of democratic debate in the Netherlands.