Dutch protests against attack on gay couple holding hands Published duration 8 April 2017

image copyright AFP image caption Protesters held hands in a show of solidarity

Protests have been held across the Netherlands in support for a gay couple who were attacked last week, allegedly for holding hands.

Rallies took place in Arnhem, the city where the incident took place, as well as Eindhoven and The Hague.

About 2,500 protesters showed up in Arnhem - many waving rainbow flags.

One of the men, Jasper Vernes-Sewratan, thanked the protesters and said "You have pulled us through this terrible week", AFP news agency reports.

His partner Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, who lost teeth in the attack when he was assaulted with a bolt cutter, was in tears during the rally, AFP added.

image copyright EPA image caption Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes (L) and Jasper Vernes-Sewratan (R) thanked the demonstrators for their support

After their story emerged, Dutch men began uploading pictures of themselves holding hands on to social media to stand against homophobia.

The images were shared via the hashtags #handinhand and #allemannenhandinhand (all men hand in hand).

Five teenagers handed themselves in to police after the attack, and appeared in court on Thursday, reports say.

image copyright Cancer Center UMCU image caption Two medical staff hold hands at an Utrecht hospital: "Because love (and care) is for everyone"

Related Topics Homophobia

LGBT

Netherlands